This book explores Daoist philosophies of qi and virtue through inquiry into their potential as technologies for cultivating good among individuals and society within educational settings, as well as in the modern world. The first part of the book, authored by Jing Lin, examines Daoist cosmology, axiology, and epistemology. She illuminates qi cultivation’s reliance on the accumulation of virtues, leading to transformation of the body and even—extraordinarily—the abilities of Daoist masters to transcend physical limitations to achieve health, longevity, and immortality. The second part of the book, authored by Tom Culham, establishes an understanding of qi and virtue as a technology within the Daoist paradigm, outlining the benefits of its cultivation while illuminating how contemporary Western philosophy and science support this paradigm. Both authors explore new forms of education to incorporate Daoist wisdom in schooling.

This book explores Daoist philosophies of qi and virtue through inquiry into their potential as technologies for cultivating good among individuals and society within educational settings, as well as in the modern world. The first part of the book, authored by Jing Lin, examines Daoist cosmology, axiology, and epistemology. She illuminates qi cultivation’s reliance on the accumulation of virtues, leading to transformation of the body and even—extraordinarily—the abilities of Daoist masters to transcend physical limitations to achieve health, longevity, and immortality. The second part of the book, authored by Tom Culham, establishes an understanding of qi and virtue as a technology within the Daoist paradigm, outlining the benefits of its cultivation while illuminating how contemporary Western philosophy and science support this paradigm. Both authors explore new forms of education to incorporate Daoist wisdom in schooling.

The harmonizing influence of ancient Daoist philosophy is of much relevance to the world in which we live today, and this is especially so in the field of global education. Among the growing numbers of contemporary teachers and scholars who nurture Daoist wisdom in their classrooms, this book takes the unique pathway of considering its applications through the contemplative lenses of teacher diaries. Its South African-born author has taught academic English for over three decades in Japan, the Middle East, and the People’s Republic of China. Since early childhood, he has infused his fascination for Daoist wisdom with his enjoyment of writing diaries – and in ways that derive insights into the compassionate, frugal, and humble foundations of Daoist-inspired pedagogies within contemporary classroom environments. This book presents Daoist wisdom in terms of it being the Supreme Ultimate of all ways. It introduces the classical Daoist texts of the Laozi, the Zhuangzi, and the Liezi, and shares a short historical overview of Daoism with its growing global influence. As such, it emphasizes that Daoist-inspired pedagogies encourage a delicate balance between intuitive insights and intellectual analysis – and in ways that are not antagonistic toward each other, but which dance together as one. In this regard, the role of meditation during the undertaking of diaries is specifically highlighted concerning its propensity to bring one into the present moment, pacify racing thoughts, and transcend the ego. It also shows how a meditative state of mind that accompanies the reading, writing, and analysis of the diary entries contributes to deeper self-discernment along with unique intuitive insights related to oneself as a teacher and the classroom environment. In addition, this book describes how the Wordsmith Tools Program and the Book of Changes can be used as additional approaches to analyzing thought patterns within the diary entries – and how these also nurture inward contemplations and the intuitive insights that accompany them. Thereafter, considerations based on the applications of core Daoist principles for classroom pedagogies are filtered through the contemplative lenses of teacher diaries. These principles are the unintentional integrity of de, the complementary duality of yin-yang, the cosmic vitality of qi, the self-so-ness of ziran, the unforceful spontaneity of wuwei, and the unblemished purity of pu. This book illustrates through its diary lenses how these six Daoist principles can be nurtured in ways that contribute to a scholarliness that is grounded in an equal appreciation for the logical applications of intelligence along with the uniqueness of intuitive creativity which cannot be explicitly taught but which spontaneously arises from within the deep reservoirs of intuitive wisdom which exist within the true selves of everyone. In addition, this book shares pearls of Daoist wisdom for teachers from within the poetic chapters of the Laozi, as well as within the amusingly enlightening stories in the Zhuangzi and the Liezi – such that their ancient teachings can be applied to Daoist-inspired pedagogies, and nurtured in ways that unite the joyfulness and scholarly efficacy of both teaching and learning. It is shown how doing so enhances a sense of awe, wonder, openness, and contemplative oneness within the classroom environment - making it a happier, more contented, and more meaningful place for both teachers and students.

This book critically explores Global South perspectives, examining marginalised voices and issues whilst challenging the supremacy of Global North perspectives in literature. The unique value of this book lies in its extensive coverage of various Southern challenges, including disaster management, climate change, communication, resilience, gender, education, and disability. It also underscores the relevance of indigenous philosophies such as animism, Buen Vivir, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Neozapatism, Qi vitality, Taoism, and Ubuntu. Stemming from regions as diverse as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, these philosophies are brought into public discourse. By demonstrating their practicality in designing intervention programs and influencing policy-making, the book fills a critical gap in global Southern literature while promoting context-specific knowledge for improving well-being in the Global South contexts. This book’s content resonates with a diverse audience, encompassing students, academics, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers from postcolonial states in the Global South and those from Global North countries. Furthermore, it is highly relevant to communities within the Global North that mirror the Global South – those grappling with equity issues for indigenous populations. It has a versatile appeal that transcends disciplinary boundaries, encompassing cultural studies, sociology, international development, philosophy, and postcolonial studies, thus making it accessible to all educational levels. It holds particular interest for those in development studies, indigenous studies, government departments globally, international organisations, and universities worldwide.

Creativity in the West is often perceived as “cutting edge” and “ground-breaking” in a singular act of giving birth to the new. However, to what degree has this model of breaking away from others and the world contributed to the current crisis in education, society, and ecology even before the tragic COVID-19 pandemic and responses to it? How can our reimagining of creativity contribute to the mutual flourishing of humanity and of relations between humans and the planet? Daoist creativity, based upon relationality and interdependence, has much to offer to today’s curriculum as a complicated conversation to sustain life and renew the world. Integrative, emergent, embodied, co-creative, and ecological, Daoist creativity has a built-in opening to difference through the organic relationality of Yin/Yang dynamics. This book focuses on one essential thread in Daoism—integrative creativity through organic relationality—and weaves its interplay with Western thought through multiple and intertwined dimensions of curriculum. Exploring Dao as dynamic and setting creative curriculum in motion, this book juxtaposes the notion of Wuwei and self-organization to conceptualize emergent classroom dynamics, and re-envisions the inner landscape of education through negotiating dialogues between the Jungian psyche and Daoist dynamics. Further, it explores gendered implications of Daoism to interact with feminism and formulates the pursuit of inner and outer peace through creative harmony to inform nonviolence curriculum. Synthesizing cross-cultural insights and wisdom, it provides an in-depth and intuitive understanding of the interactions between Daoist and Western creativity and elaborates a curriculum of integrative creativity for students, teachers, and their educational community. Let us all attend to the urgent call for individual and collective awakenings and for creativity that connects. Praise for Contemporary Daoism, Organic Relationality, and Curriculum of Integrative Creativity: "Hongyu Wang’s book on Daoism is a treasure. It is beautifully written and includes a diverse literature that demonstrates her impressive scholarship. She explores the relevance of Daoism’s ancient wisdom to many current issues including gender, nonviolence, peace education, as well as teaching and learning. This is an important addition to growing literature on Daoism. In a time of division we need Daoism’s cosmic perspective on how we can live peacefully and harmoniously on this earth." ~ Jack Miller The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto "One barrier to meaningful educational reform is our inability to imagine things differently. Wang’s study offers a set of lenses drawn from Chinese Daoism that could stimulate meaningful educational reform by envisioning a curriculum that moves beyond analytical reasoning toward more peaceful, humane, and ecologically sustainable ways of teaching, learning, and knowing. Along the way, Wang explores the links between Daoism and complexity theory and Daoism’s compatibilities and contrasts with aspects of Western philosophy, including recent scholarship on eco-feminism. Educators will be intrigued by this study of Daoism as a form of embodied curriculum that works toward the development of authentic personhood and transformative interconnectedness through an emphasis on lived experience in tandem with intellectual developmentand they will be inspired to examine and rethink their current practice." ~ Gay Garland Reed Professor Emerita, University of Hawaii "Honyu Wang’s book offers us a solution for nowadays crises like social and ecological ones, by pointing out that the integrative creativity and curriculum is the key...Her ideas are accessible and can enrich our perspective as educationists. The novelty and uniqueness of the book is that it makes a bridge between Western culture and East culture, between past and present and it is also a bridge from today to the future of the entire Earth." ~ Maria Butucea, Teacher Training Department, Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest

This collection of essays highlights education’s role as one of the cornerstone institutions of society, due to the role it plays in human, social, and sustainable development. Thus, this book explains various pedagogical and socio-political prescriptions for improving the conditions of society and, in addition, the human condition. The book emphasizes that the scope of educational activities necessarily includes the relationship between the school and society (i.e., in that the society plays a key role in the continued growth and development of its individual members). In this respect this edited book explains the role of pedagogy in realizing the goal that social action aims to achieve and realizing the highest good possible by means of organized social activity. The achievement of this good is the goal that human social action aims to achieve.

Bringing together leading international and interdisciplinary scholars, this ground-breaking volume examines the theory and practice of philosophical health in contemporary contexts of care broadly understood, care for the self, care for the other, and care for the world. But what do we mean by philosophical health? Whilst this book does not seek to provide a normative definition, as it explores disparate perspectives and encourages pluralism in philosophical ways of life, one may envision philosophical health as a state of creative coherence between a person's or a group's way of thinking and their way of acting, such that the possibilities for a good life are increased, and the needs for flourishing satisfied. An idea central to philosophical health is the concept of 'possibility'. Without a sense of self-possibility and openness to the future, health loses meaning, and conversely, pathologies are defined by various kinds of impossibilities. As such, philosophical health reconsiders care as a process of cultivating or pruning the compossible in embodied, psychological, and social terms, of allowing things to re-generate, or in some cases to vanish. Drawing on the history of philosophy, phenomenology, new materialism, post-colonialism but also a wide range of contemporary approaches to philosophical practice, Philosophical Health sheds light on the understudied philosophical dimension of care and the healing dimension of philosophizing. Advocating philosophy as a lived practice, it uncovers the increasing relevance of philosophical health to contemporary debates on well-being, well-belonging, counselling, and development.

This book shows how Chinese wisdom originating many centuries ago is still highly relevant to our lives today as the Daoist classics provide insightful prescriptions on how to live a life full of happiness, contentment, and healthy longevity. They also provide guidance regarding personal ethics, sustainable economics, and achieving enlightenment. The book contains reflections on how to achieve happiness drawing from the Liezi, a Daoist classic, and it examines Daoist ideas about nourishing life to achieve longevity and the marked similarity between these principles and people living in “blue zones” today with the highest concentration of centenarians. It explores Daoist views on consciousness and enlightenment in the Laozi and Zhuangzi and their close resemblance to some of the most influential “new age” teachings on the subject. It highlights the ethical character of a Daoist sage by drawing on the Daoist classic of the Wenzi and enumerates lessons for transitioning toward a sustainable economy from the Daodejing. Covering multiple dimensions of classical Daoist thought and their contemporary applications to human development and well-being, this text will usefully inform scholars, students, and researchers of Asian studies, religion, and philosophy, and individuals seeking self-improvement and personal wellness.

This book takes readers on a journey that is part storytelling, part academic analysis, and part spiritual exploration. The authors identify the climate emergency as a breakdown in spiritual consciousness which fails to recognize our deep interconnection with Nature. To meet this crisis of spirit, Storying Our Relationship with Nature serves as a guide for transforming ourselves and our lives through story and highlights the importance of social and emotional aspects of environmental education. The authors introduce the philosophical and historical foundations of our objectification of Nature as a commodity and describe the effect this view has on our lives. They detail a path forward through storytelling, contemplative practice, Eastern philosophy, and the transformative power of education. Throughout the book, reflective activities provide a space for the reader to personalize their learning, leading the reader towards the book's central message: once we learn to consciously re-story our relationship with Nature, we can transform our cultural narrative of fatalism and greed into one of love, determination, and possibility, helping us move towards a sustainable future.