Cracking the Tetralemma: Extant Literature, Ultimate and Conventional Truth, and Nagarjuna’s Ontological Expressivism

Abstract

The tetralemma is a logical tool used by Buddhist philosophers. It contains four elusive alternatives, the natures of which have been debated for 2000+ years. I describe many proposed forms of the tetralemma and point out flaws in them. I then present my own form that utilizes the conventional and ultimate distinction to solve the aforementioned problems. Finally, I connect my form to the novel reading I propose of Nagarjuna called “Ontological Expressivism.”