Emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness: A comparative study of Nagarjuna and Derrida

This thesis examines Nagarjuna's doctrine of emptiness (sunyata) in the Mulamadhyamakakarika and Derrida's theory of deconstruction, using the method of comparison. The comparison does not aim at demonstrating that the two thinkers, widely separated by time and place, declare the same thing. Instead, this study proposes that Derridean deconstruction can be used as a creative tool for understanding Nagarjuna's emptiness in the Mulamadhyamakakarika , comparing the four philosophical systems of Nagarjuna and Derrida, that is, emptiness/differance, dependent arising/the trace, the two truths/the two levels of deconstruction, and the middle way/the middle voice. This study includes the historical background of the philosophies of Nagarjuna and Derrida, examining their dismantling of Indian ontology and Western metaphysics respectively. It concludes that Nagarjuna's and Derrida's philosophies lead to redefining human relationships and contribute to a new ethical movement: the emphasis on compassion and responsibility.