Non-Contradiction

Larry Powers' Non-contradiction is an engaging, innovative, and delightful book. It re-tells the story of Greek philosophy from the novel starting point that Parmenides, Plato and Aristotle took their primary philosophical task to be the defence of the principle of non-contradiction. In the course of nine chapters devoted to ancient Western philosophy we see Powers as the ally of the Greeks, and we get the impression that he sees their project even more clearly than they did. The book also includes a substantial chapter that takes on the challenge of explaining the importance of Hegel to modern analytical philosophers, and another chapter that compares our logical ways with those of ancient Indian and Chinese thinkers, such as Dignaga and Chuang Tsu. Interwoven with Powers' exposition of the history of philosophy is a primer on his own meta-philosophy, a theory devoted to the analysis and resolution of philosophical disagreements. Especially those with an interest in logic and metaphysics will want to study this book: throughout, the argumentation is original, insightful, provocative, persistent and stimulating.