The Elusive Body: From Daoism to Digital Selves

We live in our bodies. It is through them that we exist and perceive the world. Embodiment is perhaps a necessary form of our being. The conception of the body is a reflection of where we are in the world, and it shapes our conception of what the world is in itself. The contemporary naturalist conceives of the body as a composite of biological-physical structures. This simplistic view, however, not only overlooks debates surrounding the body in the history of Western philosophy but also ignores the role of the body in other traditions.

Chinese Daoism, however, regards the body as the intersection of various elements in the universe. They perceive the Tao through their bodies. Taoists are often regarded as committed to a naturalistic philosophy, yet how do they embrace completely different perspectives of the self, the body, and the world? Could it be that the differences in how we understand bodily experiences across cultures are responsible for the distinction of worldviews we have today?

By exploring the notion of the body from naturalism to Daoism, and further expanding this into the realm of cybernetics and future digital life, it appears that the notion of the body continues to elude us. Yet, while we may fail to possess a common and determine idea of what the body is, we may be moving towards a more holistic understanding of embodiment.

Speaker

ZHANG Xiaoxing
Professor of Philosophy at Yunnan University
2024-2025 Berggruen Fellow

Dr. Zhang Xiaoxing’s research interests include modern philosophy, practical knowledge-how, social epistemology, Daoism, Christian mysticism, and analytic comparative philosophy. His book Socrates in Love: Ten Introductory Lectures of Philosophy (Chinese) was published by Tsinghua University Press in 2020. His papers are published in venues such as Philosophical Studies, Analysis, Synthese, Ergo, Inquiry, Religious Studies, and several leading philosophy journals in Chinese.

Commentators

CHEN Xia
Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
2022-2023 Berggruen Fellow

Dr. Chen Xia research specializes in Chinese philosophy and religions, with a particular focus on Daoism. Chen has published books including Daoist Ethics: Traditional Expressions and Contemporary Interpretations (Chinese, 2023), Body in Daoism: An Ecological Perspective (Chinese, 2019), Introduction to the Philosophy of Daoism (Chinese, 2017), among the others. She has also contributed to various notable translations and has published hundreds of articles in both Chinese and English journals.

FEI Duoyi
Professor of Philosophy, China University of Political Science and Law

Dr. Fei Duoyi works on adopting an analytic approach to the philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology. Her books include A Study on the Mind-Body Problem (Chinese, 2018), and Beyond the Brain: How the Mind and the Body Shape Each Other (English, 2023). Her academic papers include “Disposition: The Concept of Causation Reconstructed,” “Meno’s Paradox: How Reason Warrants Knowledge?” and “Comparative Perspectives on Solutions for the Problem of Other Minds.” She is also co-translator of Quine’s philosophical papers and Routledge History of Philosophy.