Trying Not to Try: Ancient China, Modern Science, and the Power of Spontaneity Paperback – 3 Mar. 2015

The essence of the great Chinese philosophers is their approach, as opposed to their theories. Edward Slingerland looks at the four biggest of them in an attempt to show us how two ways of being, wu-wei (“oo-way”) and de (“duh”) define the difference between success and failure, east and west, and satisfaction and frustration.Wu-wei is an approach. It can mean going with the flow, internalizing some process so you can do it without any conscious thought, or suppressing all outside irrelevance to focus unconsciously on what is before you. This is the approach to, in Slingerland’s best example, a baseball pitcher who used to throw strikeouts without a thought, struggling to stay in the game when he thought about what he was doing. The more he tried to refine his actions, the worse the outcome. Another example would be tightrope walking. You don’t want to look down. Better blindfolded than looking down.De is a state. It is commanding presence. When you exude the non-arrogant confidence of someone who knows, people respect you and flock to you. You get the girl, the job, the meeting – whatever. It just comes to those with de. Noam Chomsky has de. Gerald Ford did not.The essence of both wu-wei and de, is being as far away from striving to achieve them as possible. So Trying Not To Try examines how different Chinese philosophers backed off from them in order to achieve them. Retreat to advance.Slingerland, who lives and breathes Eastern culture and philosophy, takes us on an expert guided tour, edited so we get the essence of each philosopher’s approach. They are Confucius, Laozi, Mencius and Zhuangzi. Confucius is the most neurotic of them, insisting on ceremony, ritual, tradition and caution. The others take him as their starting point and go off in their own directions.There is no magic solution to achieving these two Ways. The key word throughout is try. Slingerland has done a fine job of instilling the virtues of them in an easy-reading, entertaining little book.David Wineberg

Excellent book. A very interesting view about how ancient wisdom is relevant to the issues modern society is facing. Enjoyed it

If u have heard of "Flow " and are curious about it. Then this book can explain more about Flow taking a solid foundation of Lao Tzu theory. One must read this book to declutter and detox with hurries and worries slow down and still win the race 🏇...

Great integration of ancient Chinese thinking with current concepts of "flow", empathy, and evolutionary psychology. Some may find the conclusions not definitive but it only shows the inherent complexity of the subject.A great read.

In this book, Edward Slingerland combines his deep learning about the classics of Chinese culture with an appreciation of important work in contemporary psychology. Slingerland shows that the traditional Chinese concepts of wu-wei (not-doing) and de (virtue) found in the works of Confucius, Laozi, and others in the Warring States period accord with a growing appreciation of embodied psychology in contemporary thinking. He makes a convincing argument that the Chinese tradition identified issues that we’re still trying to sort out today.Confucius, Laozi, Mencius, Xunxi, and Zhuangzi, in other words, both the Daoist and the Confucian traditions, attempted to identify and cultivate spontaneity within individuals. We can identify spontaneity in a mundane task such as butchering an ox, as related in the famous story of Cook Deng told by Zhuangzi, but its greatest value arises in social interactions. The virtuous person (a person with de) is at ease with others, acting spontaneously, thereby putting those others at ease. Confucius argued that appropriate spontaneity arises through assiduous cultivation, while Laozi and Zhuangzi wrote in favor a more spontaneous spontaneity. (Mencius argued to split the difference.)In recent Western psychology, such as in the work of Daniel Kahneman, psychologists have developed the concepts of System 1 and System 2 "thinking". System 1 is quick, spontaneous, and habitual, while System 2 is slower, more intense, and more energy demanding. We identify System 1 with the body and instinct, while System 2 is rational, calculating, and centered in the head. Slingerland argues that achieving true wu-wei that results in a realization of de comes from the melding of these two systems into a dynamic harmony. The Dao any anyone?Slingerland fills the book with examples of the action-less doing of wu-wei (the “zone” or “flow” in sports, for instance) as well as examples from contemporary psychology and neuroscience. To my mind, perhaps the most common example for most is riding a bike: after learning through early, self-conscious effort, we finally let go and just do it. It comes “naturally”. Slingerland argues persuasively that our modern, Western individualism and attendant emphasis on conscious effort isn’t always the best way to accomplish an end. Sometimes we have to let go to reach obtain our goal. (Yes, there is a discussion of Luke Skywalker and his antecedents in Zhuangzi).This is a thoughtful and delightful book, one that enlightened me a great deal about some of the classics of Chinese culture while using those ideas to elucidate the findings of an important area of contemporary psychological research. The quandary of spontaneity versus focused, planned action is indeed a familiar one, whether one is attempting to fall asleep (never can be forced), continue a shooting hot streak in basketball (often lost as soon as realized), or in writing a blog. Sometimes writing a blog seems effortless, sometimes forced, but it always needs both flowing inspiration and careful, rational editing. Slingerland’s book gives us ideas about how we might realize our de, our virtue, in new and productive ways—or simply perhaps via The Way.

A small, but important note - the extemporaneous contemplation of what happens inside a pianist’s head is WRONG! As a professional pianist, I can guarantee And support with research, that no professional artist worth their mettle is thinking about dinner when they’re performing. Although some pianists of old might have told anecdotes about what they thought of during their performances, I promise it was only to keep you entertained and impressed. The internal cognitive AND physical processes involved in playing the piano are complex and all encompassing; in turn - they do Not allow even the most prodigious of us to think about dinner while we play…. I realize that perhaps listeners Love the thought of virtuoso pianists being so at ease with their talent, that they no longer have to make any effort in their performances and can sit back and contemplate their next meal…. Alas, that’s a lie…. :)