Ziran: The philosophy of spontaneous self-causation

Authors

• Brian Bruya, Eastern Michigan University

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2022

Department/School

History and Philosophy

Abstract

Ziran, an idea from ancient Daoism, defies easy translation into English but can almost be captured by the term "spontaneity." It means "self-causation," if "self" is understood as fundamentally plural, and "causation" is understood as sensitivity and responsiveness. Applying ziran to the fields of action theory, attention theory, and aesthetics, Brian Bruya uses easy-to-read, straightforward prose to show, step-by-step, how this philosophical concept from an ancient tradition can be used to advance theory today. Incorporated into contemporary philosophy of action, ziran opens us to the notion of movement and action as self-organizing. Incorporated into contemporary cognitive science, ziran opens us to the possibility of effortless attention, contrary to the reigning paradigm. Incorporated into contemporary aesthetics, ziran opens us to a new category of art-somatic art-and a new, refined understanding of improvisation.

Comments

B. Bruya is a faculty member in EMU's Department of History and Philosophy.

Link to WorldCat Entry

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Recommended Citation

Bruya, B. (2022). Ziran: The philosophy of spontaneous self-causation. State University of New York Press.