Palgrave Macmillan | Ignorance Is Bliss: The Chinese Art Of Not Knowing (2021 EN)

Author: Mieke Matthyssen
Full Title: Ignorance Is Bliss: The Chinese Art Of Not Knowing
Publisher: ‎ Palgrave Macmillan; 1st ed. 2021 edition (June 15, 2021)
Year: 2021
ISBN-13: 9783030739027 (978-3-030-73902-7), 9783030739010 (978-3-030-73901-0)
ISBN-10: 3030739023, 3030739015
Pages: 380
Language: English
Genre: Psychology: Cross Cultural Psychology
File type: EPUB (True), PDF (True)
Quality: 10/10
Price: 106.99 €


This book examines the popular, yet puzzling, Chinese saying Nande hutu 难得糊涂 to uncover how the ancient Chinese wisdom of not knowing is constructed, interpreted, practiced and valued in contemporary society.

Originating in the calligraphy of Qing-dynasty scholar Zheng Banqiao, Nande hutu translates literally as: “hard to attain muddle-headedness”. Mieke Matthyssen traces the historical development of this saying and related philosophies to reveal a culturally conditioned, multi-layered inclination to different forms of not knowing. In contemporary society, she argues, this inclination forms part of a living art: in some respects, a passive, evasive strategy for self-preservation; in other respects, a strategy for coping with intrapersonal, interpersonal and social complexities.

Drawing on an extensive range of primary sources and original research, the analysis skillfully combines philosophical and socio-historical analysis with theory from Chinese philosophy, philosophical psychology and the relatively new field of indigenous psychology, to provide an in-depth understanding of how Nande hutu has shaped, and continues to shape, the Chinese psyche and behaviour.

This book will appeal to all readers looking for fresh insights into Chinese culture, and in particular to students and scholars of Chinese and Asian studies, cultural and social anthropology, and philosophical and indigenous psychology.


Overview:
✓ Suggests how the art of not knowing might be an aid to increased wellbeing in an age of information overload
✓ Examines how the ancient Chinese wisdom of not knowing is discursively constructed, interpreted, practiced and valued in contemporary society
✓ Offers a thorough and original discussion of the philosophy ofNande hutuby tracing its socio-historical, philosophical and cultural development in China

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