Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka: A Philosophical Introduction

The introduction presents Nāgārjuna as one of the most important philosophers in Asian thought, while acknowledging the historical uncertainty surrounding his life, date, location, and authorship. Westerhoff explains his methodology: rather than offering a line-by-line commentary, the book provides a synoptic and analytical reconstruction of Nāgārjuna’s philosophical arguments. It also reviews major Western interpretations of Nāgārjuna, including Kantian, analytic, and post-Wittgensteinian approaches. The main chapters examine key Madhyamaka problems. Chapter 2 analyzes different meanings of svabhāva, including ontological and cognitive dimensions. Chapters 3 and 4 study negation and the catuṣkoṭi, or tetralemma. Chapters 5 and 6 examine causation and motion, showing how Nāgārjuna deconstructs assumptions about cause, effect, time, movement, mover, and motion. Chapter 7 studies the self, rejecting a substance-self and explaining the Madhyamaka view of personal identity. Chapter 8 examines epistemology and the means of knowledge. Chapter 9 discusses language and Nāgārjuna’s “no-thesis” position.