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| Published in 2014 |
In this book, Edward Slingerland combines his
deep learning about the classics of Chinese culture with an appreciation of
important work in contemporary psychology. Slingerland shows that the traditional
Chinese concepts of wu-wei (not-doing)
and de (virtue) found in the works of
Confucius, Laozi, and others in the Warring States period accord with a growing
appreciation of embodied psychology in contemporary thinking. He makes a convincing
argument that the Chinese tradition identified issues that we’re still trying
to sort out today.
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| Confucius |
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| Laozi |
Confucius, Laozi, Mencius, Xunxi, and Zhuangzi,
in other words, both the Daoist and the Confucian traditions, attempted to
identify and cultivate spontaneity within individuals. We can identify
spontaneity in a mundane task such as butchering an ox, as related in the
famous story of Cook Deng told by Zhuangzi, but its greatest value arises in
social interactions. The virtuous person (a person with de) is at ease with others, acting spontaneously, thereby putting
those others at ease. Confucius argued that appropriate spontaneity arises
through assiduous cultivation, while Laozi and Zhuangzi wrote in favor a more
spontaneous spontaneity. (Mencius argued to split the difference.)
In recent Western psychology, such as in the
work of Daniel Kahneman, psychologists have developed the concepts of System 1
and System 2 "thinking". System 1 is quick, spontaneous, and habitual, while
System 2 is slower, more intense, and more energy demanding. We identify System
1 with the body and instinct, while System 2 is rational, calculating, and
centered in the head. Slingerland argues that achieving true wu-wei that results in a realization of
de comes from the melding of these two systems into a dynamic harmony. The Dao
any anyone?
Slingerland fills the book with examples of the
action-less doing of wu-wei (the “zone” or “flow” in sports, for instance) as
well as examples from contemporary psychology and neuroscience. To my mind,
perhaps the most common example for most is riding a bike: after learning through early, self-conscious effort, we finally let go and
just do it. It comes “naturally”. Slingerland argues persuasively that our
modern, Western individualism and attendant emphasis on conscious effort isn’t
always the best way to accomplish an end. Sometimes we have to let go to reach
obtain our goal. (Yes, there is a discussion of Luke Skywalker and his antecedents
in Zhuangzi).
This is a thoughtful and delightful book, one
that enlightened me a great deal about some of the classics of Chinese culture
while using those ideas to elucidate the findings of an important area of
contemporary psychological research. The quandary of spontaneity versus
focused, planned action is indeed a familiar one, whether one is attempting to
fall asleep (never can be forced), continue a shooting hot streak in basketball
(often lost as soon as realized), or in writing a blog. Sometimes writing a
blog seems effortless, sometimes forced, but it always needs both flowing inspiration
and careful, rational editing. Slingerland’s book gives us ideas about how we
might realize our de, our virtue, in
new and productive ways—or simply perhaps via The Way.
