The Tao and the Logos Revisited

By a most intriguing coincidence, the Greek word logos and the Chinese word tao, though different in many aspects, share the same duality of meaning, that is, both signaling thinking and speaking. In both Greek and Chinese philosophical thinking, there is a metaphysical hierarchy of inner thinking over outer expression, and thus the debasement of language, particularly writing. While Jacques Derrida criticized this as logocentrism and phonocentrism, he insisted that logocentrism is purely Western and that the largely non-phonetic Chinese writing offers an alternative to Western thinking and language. This creates an opposition that fits in the usual East-West divide, and thus a serious impediment to cross-cultural understanding. I offered a critique of Derrida’s dichotomous view almost 30 years ago, and looking back at that debate, I see an even greater importance today to argue not only for the necessity, but for the validity of cross-cultural understanding across the linguistic and cultural gaps that suggest differences between China and the West.