/lit/ - Literature

>With all of this in mind, we might list the following differences between Daoism and Stoicism in terms of ‘living in agreement with nature':

>Cosmology: the Stoics model the cosmos as organ ism (and one might speak here of a cosmobiology or cosmophysiology), something that is not evident in Daoism, where there is an organic organization of the universe, but where it is not presented as an animal, but is instead guided by Dao, which is modelled on zi ran;

>Divinisation: for the Stoics, the cosmos is related to the divine qua lawgiver, while this role of the lawgiver or creator is not found in ancient Chinese thinking;

>Eudaimonia: the Stoics value rationality highly since it is what leads to eudaimonia, and the human plays a specific role in the universe owing to its rationality; Daoists may recognize the former, but reject the latter, since Dao is in all being, and freedom can only be achieved through wu wei (non-action);

>Rationality: for the Stoics, to live with nature is to develop rationality; for Daoists, it is rather a matter of restoring one’s original spontaneous aptitude.

>The above remarks aim to show that the relation between the cosmos and the moral in the Stoicism and Daoism are mediated by different technics, which in turn belong to what I term cosmotechnics. These relations are established in different ways, and in fact define different modes of life. In Technology of the Self, Foucault gives various examples of the Stoics’ practices: letters to friends and disclosures of the self (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, etc.); examination of the self and conscience; the askesis of remembering truth (not discovering truth). The Greeks classified techniques in two main forms: melete and gymnasia. Melete means meditation, in which one uses imagination to help oneself to cope with a situation, e.g. imagining the worst scenarios, perceiving that undesirable things are already taking place, refusing the conventional perception of suffering (e.g. illness). Gymnasia, on the contrary, consists of bodily exercise, such as strenuous sporting activities. We may want to ask: How do these exercises have their ground in the understanding of virtue revealed by cosmic nature? This is not the point that concerns Foucault, who is interested in the history of self-disclosure, but it is precisely the question that needs to be addressed in our inquiry into cosmotechnics.

speaking of Foucault-
>no
>what?
>no. i’m stopping you there. i know what you’re about to say
>okay. what?
>you were about to say, you think people should at some point give foucault a chance and read him
>and? what’s wrong with that?
>i’m saying you shouldn’t push your luck here. one thing at a time, and asking for Foucault is like asking for nine things. and the time to read Foucault will be in about 400 years
>but Hermeneutics of the Self is really good
>i don’t care. there have to be *some* rules girardfag. *you* can read him if you want. elsewhere
>sigh. ok