An essay by T.P. Kasulis
"Early in its development, a philosophical tradition will consider the nature of language, for language is after all, the medium of philosophical expression. To be truly philosophical, an enquiry must have at least a rudimentary theory about the relationship between words and nonlinguistic reality. This does not mean that every cultural tradition will make the same initial decision about this relationship. We only require that a preliminary theory of language be logically consistent and a reasonable reflection of at least some aspect of language as used in everyday life. This paper examines the pioneering Western and Japanese philosophies of language as presented in Plato's Cratylus and Kuukai's Shojijissogi (the Significance of Sound-Word-Reality). We will find similar questions asked in these two works, as well as dissimilar answers. The comparisons and contrasts will suggest some general observations about the nature of comparative philosophy."
Continue reading at http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-PHIL/kasulis3.htm
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