Is the nature of wisdom such that it can be taught? This comparative study actively investigates this question through a heuristic examination of eastern and western views on the subject of wisdom and its transmission as found in classic Greek philosophy and Chan (Zen) Buddhism and experienced by the author.
Styled as a series of Platonic dialogues using a combination of Socratic elenchus (dialogic refutation) as the method for seeking out the answer to this question, this dissertation attempts to engage the reader in his or her own personal search for wisdom while at the same time illuminating the woridview championed by Chan Buddhism through selected teachings of classic Greek philosophers—paralleling the author's quest to integrate the logical thinking epitomized by Greek philosophy with the radical empiricism required of Zen practice.
The dissertation concludes that there are teachings within the classical Greek philosophical tradition that can shed light on the truths of Chan Buddhism. It further finds that the core question regarding wisdom is, like a Chan koan, not logically soluble but that wisdom's transmission is evidenced within the process of the dialog itself.
