I stumbled into the midst of a forty year old debate.
I enjoyed his puzzle books and his book on Taoism.
The Tao is Silent dipped its toes into polemics, but 5000 BC waded into the melee.
Smullyan tackles a variety of philosophical topics.
Most of it was over my head.
I enjoyed his chapter of short “Miscellaneous Fragments” (I’m a sucker for aphorisms), and I understood just enough to persevere to the end of the book.
From my dim perspective, he seems to be taking on the logical positivists and moralists on their terms and arguing for a fuzzier more Eastern view of the world.
In that vein, it may be a less personal and more rigorous extension of The Tao is Silent.
But I’m not surprised that it hasn’t been reprinted and I won’t be surprised if I don’t revisit this book — unless I stay on this philosophy kick.
䷭
pushing upward has supreme success
one must see the great man
fear not
It’s time for GEB.