In this blog, in acknowledging the difficulties and ethical dilemmas created by working within a philosophical tradition that is rarely interpreted, understood, or worked with on its own terms (Ames 2017), I explore the ways that the philosophical imaginaries and modes of Chinese philosophical traditions may nevertheless augment the repository of resources and ‘thinking tools’ of youth work.
If we accept youth worker and author Kerry Young’s (2006) proposition that youth work is to a significant degree about ‘doing moral philosophy’ with young people, the question becomes: what are the foundations and tools required for such philosophising?
https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/services/young-people
These approaches are traditionally employed as a way of ‘engaging’ young people (in activities that appeal to them), but we can recognise also, the efficacy of aesthetically grounded modes of learning such as story, allegory, visual imagery, theatre, which engage the senses and stimulate learning.
Philosophical ideas and concepts in the Zhuangzi, for instance, are playful, suggestive, perplexing. Open to interpretation, rather than didactic and explicit. They are for mulling over, playing with, ‘opening up’ different ways of thinking about/through a situation, phenomenon, relationship with the world. Employing anecdotes and conundrums that, by intention, ‘unsettle’ beliefs and patterns of thinking, they explore ideas of human place within, and journey through, the world the characteristics of life, the nature of being, form, chaos.
Humour and comedy are a distinctive feature of Zhuangzi’s philosophising. ‘To Chuang Tzu [Zhuangzi] the world must have looked like a terrible tragedy written by a great comedian’ observes Thomas Merton (2010),quoting John Wu. And Zhuangzi responded to that comedy with his own. The Zhuangzi throws into relief, and calls into question, the assumptions, expectations, and pressures of the social world, and opens up possibilities of a different path.
‘Storytelling, irony, jokes, even a simple pun – all of these elements that make up comedy, laughter, and forgetting – these are the literary devices employed in the Zhuangzi’ (Moeller and D’Ambrosio 2019).
Deceptively simple allegories and parables cut through the bombast, follies, and pretensions of political and social life. They capture the imagination and stay in the mind. Grounded in the everyday and concrete (and the occasional fantastical), The Zhuangzi stories and observations reveal at the same time a sophisticated epistemological and ontological perspective that unfolds throughout the work.
An example of Zhuangzi’s philosophy wrapped in his characteristic earthy humour, comes in an interrogated by Master Dongguo about the location of the ‘Dao’, which Zhuangzi (chapter 22) replies:
“There’s no place it doesn’t exist.”
“Come,” said Master Dongguo, “you must be more specific!”
“It is in the ant.”
“As low as that?”
“It is in the panic grass.”
“But that’s lower still!”
“It is in the tiles and shards.”
“How can it be so low?”
“It is in the piss and shit.”
That is, it is ‘complete, ‘universal’, ‘all-inclusive’.
Confucius’ style is one of ‘non-dogmatic philosophising’, to use Ames & Rosemont’s (1998) expression. He also on occasion reveals a dry sense of humour, as when he responds to an earnest follower who ‘only took action after thinking about it three times. On hearing of this, the Master said, “Twice would suffice”’ (5.20).
For Confucius learning and thinking – critically analysing and reflecting on learning and experience – provide the guide in responding to situations. Aligned with his orientation to ‘way-seeking’, all ethical questions and learnings in the Confucian Analects are grounded within a situated setting. Therefore the relationship between the Confucian text and the reader/student is necessarily a collaborative one, whereby the reader is an active participant in the creation of meaning from the text, as they draw from their own concrete experience to reflect on the relevance and questions raised by these ideas in the form of ‘wisdom sayings’, as allegories or other modes, and their application to real world experience. This is especially relevant to a youth work/youth work education setting, where participatory learning processes form a key part of the educational experience.
Language
And what nature of language would be in keeping with, and do justice to, this philosophy? As I noted in the previous blog Laozi expresses a distrust of words: ‘the dao that can be put into words is not the true dao’. Yet, as the 9th Century Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi wryly notes, if Laozi was aware of that, why did he end up writing a book of five thousand words? A distrust doesn’t mean an abandonment of words, however. Indeed, Chinese philosophy has been concerned with the nature of language, both its limits and suggestive possibilities, since its beginnings.
These limits and possibilities, particularly characteristic of classical Chinese language, have presented distinct challenges for translators and interpreters of the philosophical texts. The written characters, while often ambiguous in meaning, are evocative, resonant, rich in associations and allusions (for example to well-known poetry). The ‘productive vagueness’ (Ames) which results, allows for an inventive play of language that opens up possibilities for creative thinking and is able to express the fluid nature of experience.
Zhuangzi speaks of ‘goblet words’, or ‘spillover goblet words’, taking the image from the goblet that tips over and empties out once it is filled. Words that ‘adapt to and follow along with the fluctuating nature of the world and thus achieve a state of harmony’ (Zhuangzi ch. 27, translated Ziporyn 2020). Rather than accepting of the impossibility of capturing meaning in words, ‘goblet’ words encompass the multiple possibilities and richness of meanings contained within them. The ‘spillover goblet’ nature of words frees the mind from fixed ideas and constrictions and opens up an abundance of possibilities.
The starting point is the liberating state of ‘not-knowing’. As Ziporyn summarises Zhuangzi’s message from chapters 26 and 27:
‘Not knowing is the mind’s empty space to wander in; knowledge, plans, moral conduct, and reform – these are just blockages’ (Ziporyn 2020).
Goblet words, as Ziporyn (2020) describes, ‘embody the ambiguity of things’. They
‘tip over and empty when you try to fill them up with too much meaning – enabling them to endlessly produce new meanings.’
Goblet words allow for the
‘emptying and following along completely each new context’ (Ziporyn 2020).
Perhaps not-knowing and goblet words act as a reminder for youth workers that there is merit in refraining for a time from the impulse to prescribe – and proscribe, contain, pin down, specify (‘problems’, ‘solutions’, ‘actions’, ‘strategies) as demanded by pre-defined outcomes and targets.
Silence
Not-knowing, emptiness, spaciousness, and silence. Daoism is the philosophy of silence and nothingness observes Hans-Georg Moeller (2011), quoting philosopher Feng Yulan. The mind’s empty space is silent.
Often taking the form of a time of reflection within a structured program, quiet – silent – time is occasionally introduced within youth work settings. But in modern culture we feel distinctly uncomfortable with silence, and it can be challenging for both young person and worker. However, the language of silence is the necessary complement and companion of the language of words, word play, verbal, visual and aural expression. Connected with not-knowing, silence opens up space for the spontaneous/natural emergence of things, expressing their ziran, their‘self-so-ness’ in which they are spontaneously so of themselves. Expanding space, and opening up new possibilities for thinking, experiencing, knowing.
Opening up to new possibilities
In the everyday we may still turn to the Zhuangzi, the Confucian Analects, and other classics of Chinese philosophy to provide ways of framing a question and posing ethical problems. Reflecting a novel perspective and an appealing, vivid aesthetic, these works are capable of shifting us from a limited, mono-dimensional perspective and worldview. They nudge us to keep an open mind, to assume an attitude of productive scepticism and perspective, to embrace plurality and respectful sharing and exchange. They remind us of our interconnectedness, and ‘open us up to new possibilities of what might become new knowledge and insight’ (Wong 2021: 248).
What does a ‘good life’ look like? Can we identify the ‘ingredients’, particularly in the context of war, environmental collapse, and rampaging capitalism creating ever greater inequality and hardship for ordinary people? The following blogs explore some of the insights offered by Chinese philosophical traditions.