Western philosophy and religion became ruled by the aristotelian logic where a can never be non-a. In Eastern thought, especially Taoism this is quite different. It is ruled by paradoxical logic, which stresses the complementary nature of opposites.

Instead of describing reality, there is a tendency in the western philosophical and religious thought to define it. This leads to lot of arguing in situations where opposing views could as well be seen as different aspects of the same reality.

Erich Fromm touches this subject in his book Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism.