Daoist Encounters with Phenomenology: Thinking Interculturally about Human Existence

by David Chai (editor)

This collection is intercultural philosophy at its best. It contextualizes the global significance of the leading figures of Western phenomenology, including Husserl, Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Buber and Levinas, enters them into intercultural dialogue with the Daoism of Laozi and Zhuangzi and in doing so, breaks new ground.

By presenting the first sustained analysis of the Daoist worldview by way of phenomenological experience, this book not only furthers our understanding of Daoism and phenomenology, but delves deeper into the roots of human thinking, aesthetic expression, and its impact on the modern social world. The international team of philosophers approach the phenomenological tradition in the broadest sense possible, looking beyond the phenomenological language of Husserl.

With chapters on art, ethics, death and the metaphor of dream and hermeneutics, this collection encourages scholars and students in both Asian and Western traditions to rethink their philosophical bearings and engage in meaningful intercultural dialogue.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2020

Reviews

[Matthew Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of academic essays attempting an intercultural dialogue between Daoism and Western philosophy, focusing specifically on phenomenology. The first couple essays/chapters were reasonably good. After that, the book devolved into stuffy and inscrutable writing. There were several boring writers I couldn't stand who rambled at length on a philosophical meta-level in thick academese without saying anything at all. From this collection, I highly recommend David Chai's interesting essay comparing Western views of using color while painting to Daoist views, as well as Sarah Mattice's breathtaking essay about the phenomenology of reading, the ethical implications of reading, and how being literate changes our relation to beauty, meaning, and how we view the world.