Author Description

This visionary statement by Napoleon I seems more topical than ever. China is 'in'. Not only the numerical preponderance of the Chinese in the world population, but above all the enormous economic expansion and the cautious political openness in China mean that the West has 'suddenly' discovered the Chinese reality. In order to better understand the Chinese and their traditional way of life, there is also an increasing interest in Chinese culture. Confucianism, Taoism and other sources of Eastern wisdom are gradually being stripped of the esotericism that once hung around the West, and little by little the intrinsic value of Eastern cultural traditions is being discovered. Taoism, a road from East to West? wants to contribute to the fruitful interaction between Eastern and Western thinking, without lapsing into simplifications or generalizations. Can our Western concept of rationality (the logos) be used within the context of Taoism? Can we Westerners understand this Eastern philosophy with our own conceptual apparatus? After an introductory reflection on the interactions between East and West by Sander Griffioen, the authors of this volume address three major questions. Patricia De Martelaere investigates how Taoism can be captured in the (Western) terms of the Good, the Beautiful and the True. Carine Defoort examines the Taoist wisdom literature and looks for points of contact with Western wisdom. Finally, Lloyd Haft examines the question of whether and how the Eastern conceptual apparatus can function in the translation of Western cultural heritage. The texts by Carine Defoort, Patricia De Martelaere and Lloyd Haft are revised versions of the lecture they presented on the occasion of Study Day 2007 of the Wijsgerig Gezelschap Leuven.