22SP_HON312A-GP-Gender of Dao

1. thesis: I argue that what is so intriguing about qi 氣 is the resemblances that arise among each of its facets. The fluid nature of qi 氣 within our humanly bodies mirrors that of the energy of the great, cosmological qi 氣, suggesting our role as microcosms of the universe. 

2. antithesis: An opposing view to my argument is there are specified forms of qi for a reason and they are unconnected because qi changes its function or operation with every situation. Body-specific qi is not the same qi as what flows through nature or the cosmos. 

3. illumination: During my research I found Kohn's analysis of the body and how it relates to earth most illuminating, because the roundness of the head is an image of heaven, the squareness of the feet is the pattern of earth. Heaven has four seasons, five phases, nine directions, and 360 days. Human beings have four limbs, five organs, nine orifices, and 360 joints. Heaven has wind, rain, cold, and heat. Human beings have the actions of giving, taking, joy, and anger. The gallbladder corresponds to the clouds, the lungs to the breath, the liver to the wind, the kidneys to the rain, and the spleen to the thunder. There is so much coincidence and interconnectedness that we remain unaware of. Perhaps I can uncover those complexities in my paper.

Antithesis: an opposing view to my argument is that the lack of rights for the LGBTQ+ community has nothing to do with how the classical texts have been interpreted, and is instead rooted in what is actually there.

Illumination: As I have researched similar topics previously, i did not come across many new ideas this time around. However, during my research, the shifting views of the Chinese people, especially parents of out LGBTQ+ people gave me a lot of hope for what can be done to help people all over the world. 

Anonymous. Personal Interview Series. April-May 2020.

Bu, Zack. “‘No Struggles, but Also No Joys:" What It's like Growing up Gay in China.” Quartz, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2017, www.qz.com/784867/gay-rights-in-china-what-it-was-like-growing-up-gay-in-china/.

Confucius. The Analects of Confucius Book 1 Analect 2. Translated by D.C. Lau, Modified by Daniel Coyle, Penguin Classics, 1979 (Modified for private academic use, 2016).

Dychtwald, Zak. “This Is What It's Like to Come Out in China.” Vice, 28 June 2015, www.vice.com/en_us/article/nn9zdz/we-talked-with-a-22-year-old-chinese-confucian-scholar-about-coming-out-in-china-356.

“History •发展.” OutChina, 2017, www.chinalgbt.org/history.

“Hugs for LGBT Support in China”. South China Morning Post, YouTube, 19 April 2018.

Lim, Zi Heng. “For Gay Chinese, Getting Married Means Getting Creative.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Apr. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/for-gay-chinese-getting-married-means-getting-creative/274895/.

“Mama Xiaotao - HovERing: 7 Chinese Moms of LGBTQ Kids.” OutChina, YouTube, 4 Mar. 2020.

Mark, Emily. “Legalism.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 25 Apr. 2020, www.ancient.eu/Legalism/.

Pines, Yuri. “Legalism in Chinese Philosophy.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 16 Nov. 2018, plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-legalism/.

Pundir, Pallavi. “China Rejects Same-Sex Marriage, Says Only Heterosexual Unions 'Suit Country's Condition'.” Vice, Vice Media, 22 Aug. 2019, www.vice.com/en_in/article/wjw54b/china-rejects-same-sex-marriage-says-only-heterosexual-unions-suit-countrys-condition.

“Social Experiment in China -- I’m Gay, Would You Hug Me?”, Rela Media Group, YouTube, 6 Apr. 2017, .

“Why Do so Few of China's LGBT People Come out?” The Economist, YouTube, 15 June 2017, Why do so few of China's LGBT people come out? | The Economist.

Zisi. The Doctrine of the Mean. Heritage Books, 2019.

Thesis: I argue that living the good life according to the Dao De Jing and the Bible is not as easy because I believe following steps will not help you fully get there, I only believe it is a guide but not 100% accurate.

Antithesis: An opposing view to my argument is that yes, if you do follow the Dao De Jing and the Bible, you can live the good life and have an unobstructed life because the Dao De Jing and the Bible are some of the two most trusted sources.

Illumination: During my research I found that to live the good life you must be considered a good person most illuminating because in the Bible it says that no one on earth is a good person except for God.

Bibliography

Shirong, Luo. Happiness and the Good Life: A Classical Confucian Perspective. The Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, 2019.

            Luo writes in this paper about the connection between finding happiness and the good life. She also brings in Confucius and how he interprets the idea of finding happiness and the good life.

Ames, Roger T, and David L Hall. 2003. Dao de Jing “Making This Life Significant” a Philosophical Translation. New York Ballantine Books.

            In this book, Ames and Hall talk about Daoism and their interpretations of the Dao and the good life. In their commentary of every chapter, it always seems like there is a reference to some sort of happiness or the good life.

 Laozi, and Ellen M Chen. 1989. The Tao Te Ching : A New Translation with Commentary. New York: Paragon House, []. Copyright.

Ellen Chen also has her own translation of the Dao text. Her book includes her own commentary and views of the Dao calling it the “Tao Te Ching”. In some of her chapters specifically I find them to heavily relate to finding happiness and the good life like in chapter 67.

D.C. Lau. The Laozi Daodejing. 1963. Annotated and Revised by Daniel Coyle. 2012.

            The D.C. Lau’s text is just a simply revised PDF text that has up to 80 chapters that talk about the Dao De Jing.

“BBC - Religions - Taoism: Taoist Ethics.” n.d. Www.bbc.co.uk. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/taoethics/ethics_1.shtml#:~:text=The%20Taoist%20ideal%20is%20for.

In this BBC text, it states on how to find your good life and one way they say to find it, is to take control of your life. This text tells you in several ways how to find happiness and how to get there, and it refers to the Dao and includes their own commentary and translations.

“Daoist Philosophy of Flow | Pursuit of Happiness.” n.d. Www.pursuit-of-Happiness.org. Accessed April 20, 2022. https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/getting-in-the-flow/flow-links-to-daoist-philosophy/#:~:text=The%20Daoist%20philosopher%20Zhuangzi%20proposes.

This Daoist text written by the Pursuit of Happiness, says there is a flow to become a master at your own life and how to achieve the ultimate good life. It refers to the Zhuangzi and what it has to say about the good life and how to get there. It says there are many steps to achieve the good life.

Jeffrey, David. 1992. “Arthur Waley, Trans.” Harper Collins. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/joch/1/2/article-p213_1.xml.

This text written by David Jeffrey connects finding the good life between Christianity and Confucius. Which way do you follow to find your happiness? Is God’s way the real way to live the good life, or is it the way the Dao De Jing states to find the good life.

Thesis- In this paper, I will argue that the Dao De Jing is a religious text and that Daoism is a religion. I will explore how the Dao De Jing became a religion over time. I will also distinguish Asian religions from Western religions because this is an important aspect of not only illuminating Asian religions but proving the Dao De Jing as a religion.

Anti Thesis- Some may argue that Daoism is not a religion because of its origins as a guidebook or text of wisdom. 

Illumination- During my research, I found the journey of Dao becoming a religion to be the most interesting because I think it is intriguing how something can start off as a text and become a religion practiced by millions.

1. thesis: “I argue maternity founding factor of Daoism because of the constant themes of conception, nurturing, and strength in Dao de Jing.

2. antithesis: “an opposing view to my argument is that maternity is not important, because it is not prevalent in Daoism and instead it is the male that drives the philosophy.”

3. illumination: “During my research, I found the concept of conception most illuminating, because the female energy is understood throughout the Dao de Jing where it guides us to follow the female traits.”

1. thesis: I will argue that jing is an optimum state of harmony and tranquility in life and can be found by utilizing Dao, energy, and balance, because Jing is essentially equilibrium on a physical level and steadiness on an intellectual level that is indispensable.

2. antithesis: An opposing view to my argument is that jing is not harmonious or an action to be found, because it is a constant process that is unreachable due to the aspects of nature and life on this spontaneous and imperfect world. 

3. illumination: “During my research I found the character jing most illuminating, because there are so many different interpretations and definitions of it; however, they are all slightly different and make up a sort of image rather than a word. 

Bibliography

Dao De Jing Ames and Hall translation

This source is the main context that will be used and has specific chapters dedicated to Jing.

Confucian lexicon 

This text defines Jing and relates it to other important chinese characters.

The Humanist Spirit of Daoism by Chen Guying

This source views daoism with a humanist perspective, which could be important in relating the self to equilibrium and daoism. 

Daoism, meditation, and the wonders of serenity : from the latter Han dynasty (25-220) to the Tang dynasty (618-907) by Stephen Eskildsen

This source focuses on meditation and serenity within daoism, which is important in the character Jing and finding an emptiness of the mind. 

Gare, Arran. 2017. “Chreods, Homeorhesis and Biofields: Finding the Right Path for Science through Daoism.” Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 131 (December): 61–91. doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2017.08.010.

This source will help me acquire input from others' view of science in daoism through a conservative path.

1. Thesis- I will argue that women being left out of leadership will lead to society only living up to half of its fullest potential, because of the fact that women are so closely tied to the practice of the Chinese character Zhong, and therefore are gifted in leadership due to them behaving in accordance with both their heart and mind.

2. Antithesis- An opposing argument to my viewpoint is the casting of feminine emotion being seen as a negative quality, because they are not truly honoring the empathy and love that women gain by being able to interact with both the heart and mind openly and freely.

3. Illumination- During my research, I found the biological makeup of female emotions to be most illuminating, because it teaches that women are more emotionally driven than men, but also does not say that this is a bad thing by any means. 

Bibliography:

Ames, Roger. “A Conceptual Lexicon of Key Chinese Terms.” Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy and Confucian Role Ethics, 2011, pp. 1–60.

Brescoll, Victoria L. “Leading with Their Hearts? How Gender Stereotypes of Emotion Lead to Biased Evaluations of Female Leaders .” Www.elsevier.com/Locate/Leaqua, The Leadership Quarterly, 14 Apr. 2015, https://icos.umich.edu/sites/default/files/lecturereadinglists/Leading_with_their_Hearts-Brescoll%20(2016)%20Leadership%20Quarterly.pdf.

Laozi. Daodejing. Ed. Erata, 1999.

Lennon, Kathleen. Gender Theory in Troubled Times. Polity Press, 2020.

1. Thesis: I will argue that emptiness is space for growth in the Daoist mindset and is something to strive for in the same way doaist believe the role of the female is something to strive for because it allows for a gentle approach to living that it often highlighted in the Dao De Jing.  

2. antithesis: “an opposing view to my argument is that the notion of women is not connected to femininity in Daoism. 

3. illumination: “During my research, I found the notion of emptiness being fulfilling most illuminating, because it is a juxtaposition that does not make sense without research that aids in this claim.”

Ames, R. T., & Hall, D. L. (2003). Dao De Jing "making this life significant" is A philosophical translation. Ballantine Books. 

This text is the foundation piece for following the way-making life of Dao. It is like an

instruction guide on how to live a life of dao and therefore is important to consider.

Laozi, & Chen, E. M. (1989). The Tao Te Ching: A new translation with commentary. Paragon House. 

This specific translation offers a unique perspective due to its poetic nature and way with words.

Lennon, K., & Alsop, R. (2020). Gender theory in troubled Times. Polity Press. 

I plan to use this text to further connect the female gender and the notion of emptiness.

Kasulis, Thomas P. Zen Action/Zen Person. University of Hawaii Press, 1981. EBSCOhost 

In the second chapter Kasulis investigates the two strands of the zen doctrine of nothingness: the

mistrust of conceptualization. The personal context of Zen Buddhism, originally it was part of a

comprehensive attempt to demonstrate logically the "emptiness" (sunyata*) of philosophical 

distinctions. Emptiness, the logical interdependence of opposing terms, lies at the basis of all 

philosophical distinctions. Still, it does not follow that one should abandon language altogether, 

transcending the world of dualities and living in the bliss of distinction-less trance states. 

GAO, Shan. “‘Xujlng’ (Emptiness and Stillness) in Daoism, Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature, and Environmental Ethics.” Frontiers of Philosophy in China, vol. 12, no. 2, 2017, pp. 224–36, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44630943. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

In this article, the concept of xujing (emptiness and stillness) is explored in Daoism and its relationship with the aesthetic appreciation of nature and environmental ethics. The notion of chi and its relation to emptiness is also addressed. Chi is characterized by four interrelated features, which are emptiness, creativity, vitality, and stillness according to Gao. They claim that the objective features of chi, xujing are considered to be features that have aesthetic value. They argue that empathy is the reason why emptiness as the objective feature of chi is regarded as having aesthetic value.

Xu, Judith Chuan. “Poststructuralist Feminism and the Problem of Femininity in the ‘Daodejing’ [Unrepresentable Symbol].” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, vol. 19, no. 1, 2003, pp. 47–64, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25002458. Accessed 15 Apr. 2022.

This article analyzes the feminine images in the Daodejing and their relationship to contemporary Western feminist theories on sex and gender. They wish to connect the two and how an understanding of one can help understand the other. They also address how an equal relationship between the sexes would bring about the most harmony as highlighted by both thought processes.

Thesis: I argue that emotion and reason should be thought of as two parts of a whole being, much like the Chinese view it through xin. Both men and women should be equally emotional and logical.

Antithesis: There’s a reason as to why western culture separates the heart and mind, as the genders are more proficient in one or the other. They should stick to their assigned roles and what they excel at . Women are the emotional ones, not men. Men are the logical ones. Women cannot be logical because of their emotions.

Illumination: This quote fully resonated with my research: “For women, in order to participate in ‘reason’, they must give up/distance themselves from some vital aspect of their ‘femaleness’” (Pavco-Giaccia et al.). This is exactly what I’m (as well as the Dao De Jing) is trying to argue against doing. Reason and femininity should be just as connected as it is with the male. Additionally, emotion and masculinity should be connected.

Bibliography: 

Fischer, Agneta H, et al. “Gender Differences in Emotion Perception and Self-Reported Emotional Intelligence: A Test of the Emotion Sensitivity Hypothesis.” PloS One, Public Library of Science, 25 Jan. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5784910/. 

Hutson-Comeaux, Sarah L, and Janice R Kelly. “Gender Stereotypes of Emotional Reactions: How We Judge an Emotion as Valid - Sex Roles.” SpringerLink, Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1020657301981. 

Hyde, Janet Shibley, et al. “The Gender Stereotyping of Emotions.” Wiley Online Library, 2000, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01024.x. 

Laozi, et al. Daodejing: “Making This Life Significant”: A Philosophical Translation. Ballantine Books, 2004. 

Lennon, Kathleen, and Rachel Alsop. Gender Theory in Troubled Times. Polity Press, 2020.

Pavco-Giaccia, Olivia, et al. “Rationality Is Gendered.” Collabra: Psychology, vol. 5, no. 1, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.274. 

1.     Thesis: I argue that the way that specific Chinese characters are translated effects the understanding of the reader in the Laozi. While looking at the characters 根 and 本 and how they are translated as “roots” and “origin/mother”, I will explore how the readers understanding can change depending on the translation.

2.     Antithesis: The opposing view of my thesis would be that the specific translations do not matter. Possibly that the translations 根 and 本 are “roots” and “origin/mother” interchangeably.

3.     Illumination: I found the philosopher Francois Jullien to be very illuminating when talking about returning to the root and its importance in Chinese philosophy.

4.     Bibliography:

Ames, Rodger, and David Hall, “Dao De Jing "making this life significant" A philosophical

translation.”, Ballantine Books, 2003.

Cook, Constance. “‘Mother’ (Mu 母) and the embodiment of the Dao.” Journal of Chinese

 Philosophy, vol. 42, no.1–2, March–June 2015, pp. 242–249.

Chen, Ellen.  Translation of the Laozi, 1989.

"The Chinese Text Project”. Ctext.org.

https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&char=%E6%A0%B9.

Laozi tran. Lao

Liu, Jing. “Nature naturing ziran in early daoist thinking.” A dissertation submitted to the

graduate division of the university of hawai ‘i at mānoa for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, May 2018.

Zheng, Kai. “Ontology and Metaphisics in Chinese Philosophy.” Brill. September 2017, Vol. 12,

No. 3 (September 2017), pp. 408-428. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26571909

An opposing view to my argument is that the female body is not spontaneous because everything within is controlled by mechanisms in the brain.

During my research, I found the concept of spontaneous menstruation the most illuminating because I have always thought of menstruation as set 28 day cycle.

Bibliography 

Bruya, Brian. “THE REHABILITATION OF SPONTANEITY: A NEW APPROACH IN 

PHILOSOPHY OF ACTION.” University Hawaii Press , Apr. 2010, pp. 207–250. 

Bruya, Brian. “Quing 情 and Emotion in Early Chinese Thought.” MING QING YANJIU, vol. 

10, no. 1, 2001, pp. 151–176., https://doi.org/10.1163/24684791-90000410. 

“Fetal Development: Month-by-Month Stages of Pregnancy.” Cleveland Clinic, 

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growth. 

Harlow, S. “Epidemiology of Menstruation and Its Relevance to Women's Health.” 

Epidemiologic Reviews, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1995, 

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8654511/. 

Laozi, and D. C. Lau. Dao De Jing. Chinese University Press, 1982. 

Seok, Bongrae. “The Emotions in Early Chinese Philosophy.” Stanford Encyclopedia of 

Philosophy, Stanford University, 6 Dec. 2021, plato.stanford.edu/entries/emotions-chinese/. 

Slingerland, Edward. “The Problem of Moral Spontaneity in the Guodian Corpus.” Springer 

Science , vol. 7, 2008, pp. 237–256., https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-008-9066-9. 

Snow, David A., and Dana M. Moss. “Protest on the Fly.” American Sociological Review, vol. 

79, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1122–1143., https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122414554081. 

Wouter. “Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in the Spontaneous Menstrual Cycle Do Not Show 

Substantial Fluctuation.” Academic.oup.com, 1 Oct. 2006, academic.oup.com/jcem/.