Please join us for a Bristol Conversations event run in partnership with PESGB (Bath and Bristol Branch) and PESF (Philosophy of Education Sans Frontiers), in which we will host Distinguished Professor Ruyu Hung, National Chiayi University, Taiwan.
Tiān-hé (天合): Martistry in the Making as Nonself-cultivation
This paper aims to explore the ancient Chinese Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi’s philosophy of education regarding craftsmanship cultivation in relation to the contemporary context. Zhuangzi’s craftsmanship cultivation is not merely the acquisition of finest skill, but also an art of living. As the craftsperson achieves one’s mastery and artistry, which I coin ‘Martistry’, i.e., – mastery and artistry combined, one eelevates oneself into the state of dào. Being drawn into the daoful state, the craftsperson, experiencing the artful state, becomes an artist. Through wholehearted dedication to skill-practising, the joy and fulfilment one attains can be life‑enhancing, or in Zhuangzi’s word, yǎngsheng (養生, life-nurturing). In brief, the cultivation of craftsmanship can optimistically be understood as a way of life-enhancing and a way of seeking the dào. The attainment of the ultimate craftsmanship—martistry—is the moment of experiencing nonself and ultimately, dào, which benefits the practitioner and the spectator, the executor and the viewer, and the educator and the student. This educational process of learning, practising, refining skills, and ultimately attaining martistry is fundamentally a process of self-growth and self-cultivation, I will argue.
The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome (in person and online)!
We look forward to seeing you there!
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