The purpose of this essay is to explain a Daoist holistic vision and approach on the fundamental relation between language, thought, and the world, as highlighted in the opening message of the classical Daoist text Dao-De-Jing 《道德經》and suggested in its whole text. I examine and explain how the points of the opening message and relevant messages in the context of the Dao-De-Jing concerning three closely related reflective pursuits in the Dao-De-Jing (that is, the pursuit of the Dao (道), its language engagement, and a strategic semantic-truth approach) are unified into a Daoist holistic account. My strategy is this. First, through examining the opening message of the Dao-De-Jing in its whole context, I spell out one of the fundamental insights in the Dao-De-Jing on the pursuit of the genuine Dao through its language engagement (i.e., pursuing the Dao through language as powerful means and media in hooking up to the world and capturing the way things are). Second, I explain how the addressed insight on the Dao pursuit through its language engagement is intrinsically related to, and further enhanced by, a Daoist semantic-truth approach that makes the Dao pursuit through its strategic truth concern. From a broader and higher vantage point of cross-tradition engagement, I thus explain how the addressed Daoist approach unifies the three closely related reflective pursuits in the Dao-De-Jing, i.e., the Dao pursuit, its language engagement, and the strategic truth concern, into one holistic outlook on the fundamental relation between language, thought, and the world. In so doing, I also explain how the addressed Daoist approach is philosophically interesting and significant, and how it can contribute to our understanding and treatment of the issue under examination.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Dao Pursuit, Language Engagement, Semantic-Truth Approach

  • Bo Mou

摘要

The purpose of this essay is to explain a Daoist holistic vision and approach on the fundamental relation between language, thought, and the world, as highlighted in the opening message of the classical Daoist text Dao-De-Jing 《道德經》and suggested in its whole text. I examine and explain how the points of the opening message and relevant messages in the context of the Dao-De-Jing concerning three closely related reflective pursuits in the Dao-De-Jing (that is, the pursuit of the Dao (道), its language engagement, and a strategic semantic-truth approach) are unified into a Daoist holistic account. My strategy is this. First, through examining the opening message of the Dao-De-Jing in its whole context, I spell out one of the fundamental insights in the Dao-De-Jing on the pursuit of the genuine Dao through its language engagement (i.e., pursuing the Dao through language as powerful means and media in hooking up to the world and capturing the way things are). Second, I explain how the addressed insight on the Dao pursuit through its language engagement is intrinsically related to, and further enhanced by, a Daoist semantic-truth approach that makes the Dao pursuit through its strategic truth concern. From a broader and higher vantage point of cross-tradition engagement, I thus explain how the addressed Daoist approach unifies the three closely related reflective pursuits in the Dao-De-Jing, i.e., the Dao pursuit, its language engagement, and the strategic truth concern, into one holistic outlook on the fundamental relation between language, thought, and the world. In so doing, I also explain how the addressed Daoist approach is philosophically interesting and significant, and how it can contribute to our understanding and treatment of the issue under examination.