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Vanishing into Things by Barry Allen (7-Apr-2015) Hardcover
Vanishing into Things" explores the concept of knowledge in Chinese thought over two millennia, from Confucius to Wang Yangming (ca. 1500 CE), and compares the different philosophical imperatives that have driven Chinese and Western thought. Challenging the hyperspecialized epistemology of modern philosophy in the West, Barry Allen urges his readers toward an ethical appreciation of why knowledge is worth pursuing.Western philosophers have long maintained that true knowledge is the best knowledge. Chinese thinkers, by contrast, have emphasized not the essence of knowing but the purpose. Ideas of truth play no part in their understanding of what the best knowledge knowledge is not deduced from principles or reducible to a theory. Rather, in Chinese tradition knowledge is expressed through wu wei," literally not doing a response to circumstances that is at once effortless and effective. This type of knowledge perceives the evolution of circumstances from an early point, when its course can still be changed, provided one has the wisdom to grasp the opportunity.Allen guides readers through the major Confucian and Daoist thinkers including Kongzi, Mengzi, Xunzi, Laozi, and Zhuangzi, examining their influence on medieval Neoconfucianism and Chan (Zen) Buddhism, as well as the theme of knowledge in China s art of war literature. The sophisticated and consistent concept of knowledge elucidated here will be of relevance to contemporary Western and Eastern philosophers alike."
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First published April 7, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 3, 2015
Perhaps somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. The fluctuation is due to a bit of unevenness between the chapters. I did however find the book both informative and well thought out.
Barry Allen sets out as stated in the subtitle to describe the concept of : Knowledge in Chinese Tradition. Generally speaking he does an excellent job. Each of the chapters describes a different movement in Chinese thought.
- Confusianism beginning in late 6th century BCE
- Daoism starting in 4th century BCE
- The art of war in the 4th century BCE
- Chan Buddhism beginning in 65 CE
- Neoconfucian beginning in 11 century CE.
Allen has also attempted to take a comparative approach with western philosophy throughout the book, with varying success. To have been totally successful would have meant a much longer book. I prefer the shorter book at this stage.
Generally, the chapters are informative and contain enough detail to satisfy both the newcomer the the topic, and to the relatively well informed. I did find a bit of confusion in some place based on Allen's attempts to explain Zhuangzi's thought, which I have trouble discerning myself. My greatest disappointment was in his discussion of the Neoconfucian use of the word 'Li' (禮). He presents a detailed discussion and the settles for the traditional translation 'principle' from then on. I am aware that there are a variety of possibilities in English (See Stephen Angle) and would have preferred that he stick with 禮 so that the reader could make an informed decision each time. I did appreciate the Chronology and the Glossary at the back of the book. The footnotes have provided me with a few years of further reading.
The final chapter, Resonance, is a good attempt to argue for bringing traditional Chinese epistemology into western discussions of knowledge. Allen argues that western concepts have brought us to something of a crisis as we face war, environmental degradation and technological obsession:
"We do not care as we should about the ethical use of knowledge. We do not know how to care, how to express such care, to whom, or with what arguments."
It is by "vanishing into things", "[t]he kernel idea [of which] is the loss of 'self,' which is understood not substantively, as an entity, but in terms of desire and the folly of individuation."
I am neither such a believer nor an optimist as Barry Allen, but I do think that his approach to traditional Chinese philosophy through epistemology is a welcome addition to my own knowledge of the subject.
Barry Allen sets out as stated in the subtitle to describe the concept of : Knowledge in Chinese Tradition. Generally speaking he does an excellent job. Each of the chapters describes a different movement in Chinese thought.
- Confusianism beginning in late 6th century BCE
- Daoism starting in 4th century BCE
- The art of war in the 4th century BCE
- Chan Buddhism beginning in 65 CE
- Neoconfucian beginning in 11 century CE.
Allen has also attempted to take a comparative approach with western philosophy throughout the book, with varying success. To have been totally successful would have meant a much longer book. I prefer the shorter book at this stage.
Generally, the chapters are informative and contain enough detail to satisfy both the newcomer the the topic, and to the relatively well informed. I did find a bit of confusion in some place based on Allen's attempts to explain Zhuangzi's thought, which I have trouble discerning myself. My greatest disappointment was in his discussion of the Neoconfucian use of the word 'Li' (禮). He presents a detailed discussion and the settles for the traditional translation 'principle' from then on. I am aware that there are a variety of possibilities in English (See Stephen Angle) and would have preferred that he stick with 禮 so that the reader could make an informed decision each time. I did appreciate the Chronology and the Glossary at the back of the book. The footnotes have provided me with a few years of further reading.
The final chapter, Resonance, is a good attempt to argue for bringing traditional Chinese epistemology into western discussions of knowledge. Allen argues that western concepts have brought us to something of a crisis as we face war, environmental degradation and technological obsession:
"We do not care as we should about the ethical use of knowledge. We do not know how to care, how to express such care, to whom, or with what arguments."
It is by "vanishing into things", "[t]he kernel idea [of which] is the loss of 'self,' which is understood not substantively, as an entity, but in terms of desire and the folly of individuation."
I am neither such a believer nor an optimist as Barry Allen, but I do think that his approach to traditional Chinese philosophy through epistemology is a welcome addition to my own knowledge of the subject.
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October 5, 2015Dang, why didn't I ever think to work on the epistemology of Clausewitz and Sun-Tzu? The chapter comparing the attitudes towards knowledge and skepticism (based on the "fog of war" in Clausewitz's case) between the two military thinkers was an awesome example of some epistemology that's actually interesting and has real consequences! As opposed to... [fill in your favorite/least favorite debate in contemporary analytic epistemology---for me, it would be contextualism and related theories].
March 1, 2016
Interesting and informative book on thought and thinking. Not an easy read, but one I want to add to my collection. At the very least I will read again later this year. Would make for some interesting discussions among friends.
April 28, 2016
Discussion of the Chinese philosophical traditions (Daoism, Buddhism) and how they are different from the Western classics based on Aristotle and Plato.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews