Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) Philosophical Thought 1973-2873 5 4 2025 10 12 From the Will to Truth to Liberation from it; André van der Braak’s Comparative Reading of Nietzsche and Nāgārjuna From the Will to Truth to Liberation from it; André van der Braak’s Comparative Reading of Nietzsche and Nāgārjuna 489 502 24168 10.58209/jpt.5.4.489 FA A. Mahdavi Sula Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 06 22 Does the will to truth, as shaped by metaphysical thinking, necessarily originate from a justified, liberating, and life-affirming source? Focusing on Chapter Four of <em>Nietzsche and Zen: Self-Overcoming Without a Self</em> by André van der Braak, this article examines how both Nietzsche and Nāgārjuna respond negatively to this question. It first analyzes Nietzsche’s critique of the Western tradition’s "will to truth," followed by an exploration of Nāgārjuna’s analogous confrontation with Buddhist orthodoxy. The third section investigates the convergence of their approaches in deconstructing and transcending this will. Finally, van der Braak’s interpretation is subjected to critical assessment. The article argues that in both traditions, the desire for truth demands thorough critique, and overcoming it opens a path toward a lived philosophy beyond the dichotomy of truth and untruth—although van der Braak’s reading still requires greater clarity in conceptual and methodological distinctions. Does the will to truth, as shaped by metaphysical thinking, necessarily originate from a justified, liberating, and life-affirming source? Focusing on Chapter Four of <em>Nietzsche and Zen: Self-Overcoming Without a Self</em> by André van der Braak, this article examines how both Nietzsche and Nāgārjuna respond negatively to this question. It first analyzes Nietzsche’s critique of the Western tradition’s "will to truth," followed by an exploration of Nāgārjuna’s analogous confrontation with Buddhist orthodoxy. The third section investigates the convergence of their approaches in deconstructing and transcending this will. Finally, van der Braak’s interpretation is subjected to critical assessment. The article argues that in both traditions, the desire for truth demands thorough critique, and overcoming it opens a path toward a lived philosophy beyond the dichotomy of truth and untruth—although van der Braak’s reading still requires greater clarity in conceptual and methodological distinctions. https://jpt.modares.ac.ir/article_24168_ff67b4f15981e27c157d955922c4e509.pdf