Eastern Philosophy and Classical Theism

This Element engages Eastern traditions and explores to what extent their metaphysics are consistent with Classical Theism.

Classical Theism endorses the following theses: (1) God exists, (2) God is metaphysically simple, (3) God is impassible, and (4) God is wholly immutable. This Element explores to what extent the metaphysics of Classical Theism are consistent with the metaphysics of Eastern traditions. Some of the traditions endorse Classical Theism.Arguably, Classical Theism endorses the following theses: (1) God exists, (2) God is metaphysically simple, (3) God is impassible, and (4) God is wholly immutable. These theses often, though not always, lead to an endorsement of the view that God is wholly ineffable. Classical Theists, then, often see themselves as apophatic theologians. Ineffability and apophatic theology are not unknown in the great Eastern religious and philosophical traditions. In this Element, the authors explore to what extent the metaphysics of Classical Theism are consistent with the metaphysics of various Eastern traditions. After surveying each tradition, the authors argue that there is not only room for consistency, but that some of the traditions surveyed are plausibly read as endorsing Classical Theism, or at least, something not far off.