Description: 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.
Brief description: Brian Bruya is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University. His previous books include The Philosophical Challenge from China and Effortless Attention: A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action.
Review Quotes:
"...Bruya's exploration of the practical implications of zìrán adds an inspiring pragmatic dimension to the religio-philosophical discourse." -- Religious Studies Review
"This is a unique and important contribution to the field of comparative philosophy. In aiming at a wide, nonspecialist audience, Brian Bruya introduces those with interests in Western philosophy of action, cognitive science, and aesthetics to insights from the Classical Daoist tradition that enhance these fields. One of the book's greatest strengths is how it sets the reader up for further inquiry in each section--showing them what looking beyond the narrow confines of the Western tradition can do for different areas of inquiry." -- Sarah A. Mattice, author of Exploring the Heart Sutra