Wu-Wei and What Ancient Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us about Peak Performance with Edward Slingerland - a podcast by Darren C. Joe

Success does not always come from thinking, trying or striving harder. The ancient Chinese philosophers believed that wu-wei – effortless action aligned with the natural order of things – was the answer. Edward Slingerland, author of Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science and the Power of Spontaneity, presents Confucius’, Laozi’s, Mencius’, and Zhuangzi’s strategies to access wu-wei, as well as the cognitive science demonstrating its power.

Topics

• Wu-wei, De, and the Way (5:50)


• Confucius, Laozi, Mencius and Zhuangzi’s strategies to enter wu-wei (23:15)


• Applying wu-wei to work and careers (33:20)

Edward Slingerland

Edward Slingerland is a Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds adjunct appointments in Philosophy and Psychology. His research specialties and teaching interests include Warring States (5th-3rd c. B.C.E.) Chinese thought, religious studies, cognitive linguistics, ethics, and the relationship between the humanities and the natural sciences.

Edward Slingerland

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