Ignorance is Bliss: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing (Palgrave Studies in Indigenous Psychology)

This book examines the popular, yet puzzling, Chinese saying Nande hutu 难得糊涂 to uncover how the ancient Chinese wisdom of not knowing is constructed, interpreted, practiced and valued in contemporary society. Originating in the calligraphy of Qing-dynasty scholar Zheng Banqiao, Nande hutu translates literally as: "hard to attain muddle-headedness". Mieke Matthyssen traces the historical development of this saying and related philosophies to reveal a culturally conditioned, multi-layered inclination to different forms of not knowing. In contemporary society, she argues, this inclination forms part of a living art: in some respects, a passive, evasive strategy for self-preservation; in other respects, a strategy for coping with intrapersonal, interpersonal and social complexities. Drawing on an extensive range of primary sources and original research, the analysis skillfully combines philosophical and socio-historical analysis with theory from Chinese philosophy, philosophical psychology and the relatively new field of indigenous psychology, to provide an in-depth understanding of how Nande hutu has shaped, and continues to shape, the Chinese psyche and behaviour. This book will appeal to all readers looking for fresh insights into Chinese culture, and in particular to students and scholars of Chinese and Asian studies, cultural and social anthropology, and philosophical and indigenous psychology. Mieke Matthyssen is a lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies at Ghent University, Belgium. Her research interests focus on the intellectual history and contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese philosophies of life, health strategies and indigenous psychology. She has published in journals such as Contemporary Chinese Thought and Journal of Asian History Foreword 7 References 12 Acknowledgments 13 Contents 16 List of Figures 19 1 Introduction: The Chinese Art of Not Knowing 21 Nande Hutu 21 Chapter Synopsis—Reading Guide 25 Research Methods 27 Why This Book, and Why Read It? 28 Phrasings, Characters, Quotations and Translations 31 References 33 Part I Hutu in Traditional Society 34 2 The Daoist Sage Fool and the Confucian Learned Man 35 Hutu Web of Meanings 35 Hutu and the Language of the Vague and Indistinct 37 Early Use 37 Etymology 39 Semantic Associations 40 Vagueness (Mohu) 47 Early Chinese Philosophy 49 Features of Early Chinese Philosophy 50 Pragmatism as a Result of the Socio-Historical Background 50 Ars Contextualis: Chaos and Order 52 Correlative and Dialectical Thinking in a Holistic Cosmology 53 Language and Its Relation to Chinese Patterns of Thinking 56 Chinese Epistemology 58 Notions of Truth 60 Dao in Confucianism 62 The Dao of Daoism 63 Knowledge and Wisdom the Confucian and Daoist Way 64 Confucian Knowledge and Wisdom 65 The Daoist Sage as a Moral Fool 72 The Culture of Vagueness and Not Knowing 78 References 87 3 The Art of Not Knowing: A Scholar’s Paradox 91 Feudal Society 92 Bureaucracy, Social Inequality and the Elite Culture 93 Role Modelling and Official Morality 95 Rule by Law 97 Zheng Banqiao, the Eccentric 99 From Artist to Official, and Back to Artist 100 Zheng’s Philosophy of Life 104 Nande Hutu’s ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ 106 The Story of the ‘Stupid Old Man’ 108 The Dialectics of Being Smart and Muddleheaded 111 Letting Go to Obtain Peace of Mind 117 Tao Yuanming, the Lover of Life 121 Su Dongpo, Victim of His Own Smartness 124 The Ultimate Paradox: To Be or Not to Be Smart 127 Light-Hearted Social and Moral Engagement 127 Criticism and Self-Preservation 130 Contemporary Smart Scholar(-Official)s 132 References 140 Part II Hutu in Contemporary Society 145 4 The Modern Wisdom of Playing Dumb 146 From Official’s Motto to Popular Self-Improvement Market 147 Attitudes and Capacities of the Wisdom of Playing Dumb 151 The Art of Not Contending 153 Overcoming Hardness with Softness 154 The Art of Letting Go and Giving Way 155 The Art of Rejoicing in Fate 158 The Paradox of the Clear Water Without Fish 162 Smartness May Overreach Itself 165 The Propensity for the Middle Way 168 Disadvantage Is a Blessing 170 Great Wisdom Looks like Foolishness 174 Being Natural, Unrestrained and Carefree 175 Smartness-Based Classification of People 176 ‘Minor/Major’ Smartness and Muddleheadedness 177 Real and Fake Muddleheadedness 179 Modern-Day Self-Cultivation 183 References 192 5 The Wisdom of Playing Dumb in Practice 200 Hutu Pragmatism 200 Face Work 203 Playing Dumb: Some Contexts of Application 204 Health 204 Love Relations and Marriage 206 Family Life and Kinship Relations 209 Student Life 211 Professional Life 213 Colleagues 213 Leadership Positions 214 Business and Business Management 217 Politics and Officialdom 220 Practical Wisdom for Successful Officials 221 Contented Citizens in the Harmonious Society 224 The Policy of the Ignorant Masses 225 Outside the Hutu Orbit: Soulmates, Foreigners and the Web 230 A Strategy for a Detour to Success 235 References 244 6 The Psycho-Social Appeal of the Wisdom of Playing Dumb 250 A Disorienting Society 251 Harmonizing Wisdom 254 Harmony 254 Intrapersonal Harmony 255 Elderly: Harmonizing Mind-Body 257 Middle-Aged 259 Youth 260 Harmonizing Interpersonal Relations 261 Harmonizing Society 262 Hutu Coping Strategies 264 Conflict Avoidance 266 Emotional Control 268 Rationalization 269 Self-Consolation 270 The Paradox of Active vs. Passive Coping 273 Modern Needs: Self-Achievement and Spiritual Freedom 278 Self-Transcendence and Self-Preservation 281 References 290 7 The Moral Code of Playing Dumb 296 Moral Code: What’s in a Name? 296 Critical Voices 298 Hutu-Ism as Wrong Ideology 298 Muddling Through 300 Self-Advancement and Self-Promotion 302 ‘The Harmonious Society’ vs. ‘The Policy of the Ignorant Masses’ 305 Moral Guidelines 311 Hutu-Morality 311 ‘Social Conduct’ and ‘Handling Things’ 313 ‘Minor Matters’ and ‘Major Matters’ 314 Conscience 317 Moral Principles 320 Due Proportion 321 From Non-Action to Crazy Action, and in Between 323 Justified Non-Action 323 Harmfulness 325 (Non-)Benevolent Magistrates 331 Crazy Upright Magistrates 334 Smart Hutu: Experience, Age and Effort 336 References 344 8 Conclusion: The Culture of Vagueness in Transition 351 Rehashing Ancient Wisdom 354 Merging of the Three Teachings 355 Dialectical and Holistic Thinking in Terms of Change 356 References 359 9 Postscript: Hutu at the Crossroads of Knowledge and Information 361 Hutu and the Logic of Silence 361 Strong Ties Versus Weak Ties Rationalities 362 Hutu as Two Types of Silence 364 Hutu as the Primordial Silence 364 Small Is Beautiful 368 Hutu as Silencing 369 Context of Use for Hutu as Silencing 372 A Chronological Overview of the Hutu Strategies 374 Hutu Discourse in Traditional China 374 Hutu Discourse in Contemporary China 376 Commodification of Hutu Skills 376 Mounting Criticisms 377 Morality to the Rescue 377 Hutu at the Crossroads of the Global Village 379 References 381 Index 383