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Ziran

Ziran

By Bruya, Brian

Published by State University of New York Press

English 168 pages 2022
Estimated reading time: 3 h 5 min
PDF

About this book

The ancient concept of spontaneous self-causation (ziran) from Daoism opens a path to understanding human action as self-organizing, attention as effortless, and art as somatic. Ziran, an idea from ancient Daoism, defies easy translation into English but can almost be captured by the term "spontaneity." It means "self-causation," if "self" is understood as fundamentally plural, and "causation" is understood as sensitivity and responsiveness. Applying ziran to the fields of action theory, attention theory, and aesthetics, Brian Bruya uses easy-to-read, straightforward prose to show, step-by-step, how this philosophical concept from an ancient tradition can be used to advance theory today. Incorporated into contemporary philosophy of action, ziran opens us to the notion of movement and action as self-organizing. Incorporated into contemporary cognitive science, ziran opens us to the possibility of effortless attention, contrary to the reigning paradigm. Incorporated into contemporary aesthetics, ziran opens us to a new category of art-somatic art-and a new, refined understanding of improvisation.

Availability

Ziran is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops. Bookshops carrying it include Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay.

Language
English
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Frequently asked questions

In what formats is Ziran available?
Ziran is available as PDF at 9 online bookshops.
Where can I buy Ziran?
You can buy Ziran at Bajalibros Argentina, Bajalibros Latam, Bookshop Uruguay. Compare every option in the list on this page.
How long does it take to read Ziran?
At an average reading pace, Ziran takes about 3 h 5 min to read (168 pages).

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