While talking about comparative philosophy, we should presumably know what philosophy is. In this... more While talking about comparative philosophy, we should presumably know what philosophy is. In this paper, the concepts of interpenetration, intensity, and juxtaposition are proposed as philosophical tools to analyse phenomena, including philosophy itself. The axis of interpenetration-juxtaposition is discussed in three domains: embodiment, speaking, and thinking. The role of philosophy is seen, on different levels of interpenetration, as redistribution of concepts, resonance of intensities, and thawing of actualities. In comparative philosophy involving texts from different traditions, these effects should be especially notable.
In comparative philosophy, there arises the problem of ground for comparison. Qualitative compari... more In comparative philosophy, there arises the problem of ground for comparison. Qualitative comparison is based on a certain qualitative ground for comparison, e.g., weight. Quantitative comparison brings more clarity into the qualitative comparison, introducing discrete and homogeneous units: how much does it weigh? How much does it cost? Both qualitative and quantitative comparison start from a ground that is already given and clear; they simply apply it to the case at hand (Is this one heavier than the other? If so, by how much?). In other—and more interesting—cases, the common ground is obscure: we have the feeling that A and B can be compared, but how exactly? The inability to immediately proceed to application creates a tension, and this opens the intensive dimension of comparison. The intensity has two sides: obscure and clear. The obscure side has its articulations, but they interpenetrate each other. Our task is to unfold, unravel, unpack. Then we will bring something to clar...
In this paper, two kinds of knowledge are compared: disembodied and embodied knowledge. The first... more In this paper, two kinds of knowledge are compared: disembodied and embodied knowledge. The first is represented by the opening passage of Aristotle’s ‘Metaphysics’ and the second is presented by the ‘Zhuangzi’, a Daoist classic of ancient China, attributed to an eponymous author. At the beginning of his ‘Metaphysics’, Aristotle argues that the highest knowledge (1) is general; (2) is a knowledge of causes (not only that something is as it is, but also why it is so); (3) can be verbalized and (4) can be taught; (5) and that it requires idle time, scholē, a term that has given rise to our word for ”school”. This understanding has become so obvious in the Western tradition that similar ideas are often expressed by people who have never heard of Aristotle’s text. In the ‘Zhuangzi’, a contrasting ideal is set up that seems surprising to us and must have been baffling to his contemporaries in ancient China. He suggests that the highest knowledge (1) arises from specific practices and con...
In this article, I bring together the famous American semiotician Terrence Deacon and the most fa... more In this article, I bring together the famous American semiotician Terrence Deacon and the most famous proponent of Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200). I focus on two of Deacon’s central concepts, constraints and work. All systems are constrained in some way, i.e. they behave in certain ways, but not in all ways. And “work” means that in their existence they make some difference: a gas in thermal equilibrium does not produce work. I bring these notions together with Zhu Xi’s concepts of li 理 and qi 氣. Li can be understood as internal articulation of a system or an event, its “veins.” And qi is the power of existence of a system or an event, its “energy.” In this light, I discuss the topics of the priority of li, the coagulation of qi, the normativity implied in the li, and self-cultivation. A connection to Deacon can give us new tools to make sense of those ancient topics of Chinese philosophy, and a connection to Zhu Xi can give semiotics in general and Deacon’s theory in parti...
I propose an interpretation of Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200) seen through the ontology of Gilles Deleuze.... more I propose an interpretation of Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200) seen through the ontology of Gilles Deleuze. Zhu Xi is one of the most prominent Chinese philosophers, the figurehead of the so-called Neo-Confucian school, and Deleuze is arguably one of the most important Western philosophers of the twentieth century. Both philosophers presented an ontology of differentiation, whose main aspects or stages I try to analyse in the paper: Deleuze’s notions of the virtual, dark precursor, field of individuation, intensities and the actual; and parallel to these, Zhu Xi’s notions of the veins (li 理), supreme ultimate (taiji 太極), energy (qi 氣), and things (wu 物). It is argued that a Deleuzian (re)interpretation of Zhu Xi is possible and that it may open new tools of analysis for studying Chinese philosophy as well as create a conceptual space that can bring together concepts and practices from different traditions.
The main purpose of the present article is to explicitly link the Analects to the embodiment theo... more The main purpose of the present article is to explicitly link the Analects to the embodiment theory (ET). As indicated in the introduction, embodiment has been an important topic in recent Sinological research, but until now rather few explicit connections have been made with the ET. In relation to the embodied knowledge, the article discusses the following topics: embodiment, embeddedness, enactment, extendedness, emotivity, implicitness, emergence, joy and apprenticeship or self-cultivation. The same themes are found to be important in the Analects, with a plethora of examples. Arguably ET could thus be a useful paradigm for discussing several important themes of the Analects. And the Analects being one of the founding texts of the Chinese philosophical tradition (though similar concerns are manifest also in other texts), it could also be beneficial to further developments in the ET itself, on the condition that its proponents familiarize themselves with the Chinese philosophical ...
In my paper I bring out two topics from the ancient Chinese political philosophy. (1) Non-action ... more In my paper I bring out two topics from the ancient Chinese political philosophy. (1) Non-action (wúwéi) that was required from the ruler in the Legalist and Huang-Lao tradition (e.g. Han Feizi, Huainanzi) and was incorporated into the mainstream of political philosophy (e.g. Confucian Dong Zhongshu); (2) care of the people and especially of the needy, that is also required from the ruler, and was stressed mainly in the Mohist and Confucian traditions. From these two ideas I hope to get some “refreshment” for our contemporary political philosophy, and I consider them as logical extensions of democracy. On the other hand, I argue also that the traditional conception of non-acting ruler in the Legalist context should be modified with the Western ideas of the separation of powers and transparency of government; and even that this modification would be more consequent and realistic also in terms of the original Chinese idea itself.
Rad najprije utvrđuje da iz pojma prvobitnog znanja (liangzhi 良知) Wanga Yangminga王陽明 (1472. – 152... more Rad najprije utvrđuje da iz pojma prvobitnog znanja (liangzhi 良知) Wanga Yangminga王陽明 (1472. – 1529.) ne slijedi subjektivni idealizam te da je vezan za transcendentalnu subjektivnost u smislu fenomenologije. Zatim, raspravlja se o pitanju ima li Wang pojam prvobitne sposobnosti (liangneng 良能). Argumentira se da se može naći u dvije glavne Wangove teme – »znanje i radnja jedno su« (zhixing heyi 知行合一) te »razmatrati Nebo i Zemlju i mnoštvo stvari kao jedno (rizomatično) tijelo« (以天地萬物為一體) ili ih smatrati »izvorno jednim s mojim (rizomatičnim) tijelom« (本吾一體). Pokazuje se da su prvobitno znanje i sposobnost dva aspekta isto fenomena. Istinito je na razini virtualnog »rizomatskog tijela« (ti 體), a ne na razini stvari razmatranih kao potpuno oblikovane i aktualizirane (xing 形), kako se pojavljuju u empirijskom umu, zamagljeni žudnjama (yu 欲) koje postaju fiksirane na razini aktualnog. Te se žudnje mogu razriješiti putem »proširenja (prvobitnog) znanja« zhi (liang)zhi 致(良)知. Usporedni poj...
Deleuze has presented one of the richest ontologies in 20th century philosophy, and its conceptua... more Deleuze has presented one of the richest ontologies in 20th century philosophy, and its conceptual machinery could be more fully used also in Sinology. This article focuses on two of his concepts: actualization and counter-actualization. Actualization proceeds from the virtual and through the intensive processes of individuation moves towards actual structures. Counter-actualization proceeds in the opposite direction, and starting from the actual, through creative involution discovers intensities and the virtual. It has the aspects of making a body without organs, creating intensities, and diversifying them. Actualization by differentiation is a common understanding of genetic processes in the Chinese tradition in general, and in the Zhuangzi in particular. In this article, Deleuze’s concepts are used to (re)interpret the account of differentiation in the story of the death of Zhuangzi’s wife, and the strange story from the chapter “Ultimate Joy” where “horses engender men.” Counter...
Artiklis uurime digihumanitaaria vahendite rakendatavust Marek Tamme ja Kalevi Kulli väljapakutud... more Artiklis uurime digihumanitaaria vahendite rakendatavust Marek Tamme ja Kalevi Kulli väljapakutud "Eesti teooria" kontseptsioonile.
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture Theory, 2020
A comment on the "Estonian theory" by Marek Tamm and Kalevi Kull, "Interdisciplinary Approaches t... more A comment on the "Estonian theory" by Marek Tamm and Kalevi Kull, "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture Theory", eds. Anu Kannike, Katre Pärn, Monika Tasa. Tartu: University of Tartu Press, 2020, pp. 67-69.
Kõigepealt teen ekskursi keele genealoogiasse ja seejärel räägin
nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastava... more Kõigepealt teen ekskursi keele genealoogiasse ja seejärel räägin nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastavalt keele neljale « mõõtmele » (vrd. Deleuze 1969 : 22-35): osutamine (1) objektile, (2) subjektile, (3) tähendusele ning (4) algsele näole. Seal, kus ma nendest osutustest kõnelen, olen sulgudesse lisanud prantsuskeelse termini vastava keelevalla kohta.
Cuvier oli oma ajastule tüüpiliselt väga laia haardega loodusuurija ja mõtleja. Elusolend on tema... more Cuvier oli oma ajastule tüüpiliselt väga laia haardega loodusuurija ja mõtleja. Elusolend on tema järgi sidus tervik, mille kõik osad sõltuvad üksteisest ja on üksteisega seotud. Briljantse anatoomina uuris ta mitmesuguseid loomarühmi ja lõi uue teadusliku distsipliini, võrdleva anatoomia. Nende uurimuste tulemusena leidis ta, et loomadel on neli põhilist kehaehituse plaani ning jagas loomariigi selle järgi neljaks hõimkonnaks. Ühtlasi uuris ta väljasurnud liike; nende mahukate tööde põhjal peetakse teda selgroogsete paleontoloogia rajajaks. Evolutsiooniide arenguloos on Cuvier kuulus kui evolutsiooni eitaja ja katastroofide teooria pooldaja. Vastandlikku kuulsust lisavad sellele õpetlasele ka tema väga kõrged kohad riigiametis ja mõjuvõimas positsioon ladvikus. Ent ometi oli tema kirg teadus ja tõde.
While talking about comparative philosophy, we should presumably know what philosophy is. In this... more While talking about comparative philosophy, we should presumably know what philosophy is. In this paper, the concepts of interpenetration, intensity, and juxtaposition are proposed as philosophical tools to analyse phenomena, including philosophy itself. The axis of interpenetration-juxtaposition is discussed in three domains: embodiment, speaking, and thinking. The role of philosophy is seen, on different levels of interpenetration, as redistribution of concepts, resonance of intensities, and thawing of actualities. In comparative philosophy involving texts from different traditions, these effects should be especially notable.
In comparative philosophy, there arises the problem of ground for comparison. Qualitative compari... more In comparative philosophy, there arises the problem of ground for comparison. Qualitative comparison is based on a certain qualitative ground for comparison, e.g., weight. Quantitative comparison brings more clarity into the qualitative comparison, introducing discrete and homogeneous units: how much does it weigh? How much does it cost? Both qualitative and quantitative comparison start from a ground that is already given and clear; they simply apply it to the case at hand (Is this one heavier than the other? If so, by how much?). In other—and more interesting—cases, the common ground is obscure: we have the feeling that A and B can be compared, but how exactly? The inability to immediately proceed to application creates a tension, and this opens the intensive dimension of comparison. The intensity has two sides: obscure and clear. The obscure side has its articulations, but they interpenetrate each other. Our task is to unfold, unravel, unpack. Then we will bring something to clar...
In this paper, two kinds of knowledge are compared: disembodied and embodied knowledge. The first... more In this paper, two kinds of knowledge are compared: disembodied and embodied knowledge. The first is represented by the opening passage of Aristotle’s ‘Metaphysics’ and the second is presented by the ‘Zhuangzi’, a Daoist classic of ancient China, attributed to an eponymous author. At the beginning of his ‘Metaphysics’, Aristotle argues that the highest knowledge (1) is general; (2) is a knowledge of causes (not only that something is as it is, but also why it is so); (3) can be verbalized and (4) can be taught; (5) and that it requires idle time, scholē, a term that has given rise to our word for ”school”. This understanding has become so obvious in the Western tradition that similar ideas are often expressed by people who have never heard of Aristotle’s text. In the ‘Zhuangzi’, a contrasting ideal is set up that seems surprising to us and must have been baffling to his contemporaries in ancient China. He suggests that the highest knowledge (1) arises from specific practices and con...
In this article, I bring together the famous American semiotician Terrence Deacon and the most fa... more In this article, I bring together the famous American semiotician Terrence Deacon and the most famous proponent of Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200). I focus on two of Deacon’s central concepts, constraints and work. All systems are constrained in some way, i.e. they behave in certain ways, but not in all ways. And “work” means that in their existence they make some difference: a gas in thermal equilibrium does not produce work. I bring these notions together with Zhu Xi’s concepts of li 理 and qi 氣. Li can be understood as internal articulation of a system or an event, its “veins.” And qi is the power of existence of a system or an event, its “energy.” In this light, I discuss the topics of the priority of li, the coagulation of qi, the normativity implied in the li, and self-cultivation. A connection to Deacon can give us new tools to make sense of those ancient topics of Chinese philosophy, and a connection to Zhu Xi can give semiotics in general and Deacon’s theory in parti...
I propose an interpretation of Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200) seen through the ontology of Gilles Deleuze.... more I propose an interpretation of Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200) seen through the ontology of Gilles Deleuze. Zhu Xi is one of the most prominent Chinese philosophers, the figurehead of the so-called Neo-Confucian school, and Deleuze is arguably one of the most important Western philosophers of the twentieth century. Both philosophers presented an ontology of differentiation, whose main aspects or stages I try to analyse in the paper: Deleuze’s notions of the virtual, dark precursor, field of individuation, intensities and the actual; and parallel to these, Zhu Xi’s notions of the veins (li 理), supreme ultimate (taiji 太極), energy (qi 氣), and things (wu 物). It is argued that a Deleuzian (re)interpretation of Zhu Xi is possible and that it may open new tools of analysis for studying Chinese philosophy as well as create a conceptual space that can bring together concepts and practices from different traditions.
The main purpose of the present article is to explicitly link the Analects to the embodiment theo... more The main purpose of the present article is to explicitly link the Analects to the embodiment theory (ET). As indicated in the introduction, embodiment has been an important topic in recent Sinological research, but until now rather few explicit connections have been made with the ET. In relation to the embodied knowledge, the article discusses the following topics: embodiment, embeddedness, enactment, extendedness, emotivity, implicitness, emergence, joy and apprenticeship or self-cultivation. The same themes are found to be important in the Analects, with a plethora of examples. Arguably ET could thus be a useful paradigm for discussing several important themes of the Analects. And the Analects being one of the founding texts of the Chinese philosophical tradition (though similar concerns are manifest also in other texts), it could also be beneficial to further developments in the ET itself, on the condition that its proponents familiarize themselves with the Chinese philosophical ...
In my paper I bring out two topics from the ancient Chinese political philosophy. (1) Non-action ... more In my paper I bring out two topics from the ancient Chinese political philosophy. (1) Non-action (wúwéi) that was required from the ruler in the Legalist and Huang-Lao tradition (e.g. Han Feizi, Huainanzi) and was incorporated into the mainstream of political philosophy (e.g. Confucian Dong Zhongshu); (2) care of the people and especially of the needy, that is also required from the ruler, and was stressed mainly in the Mohist and Confucian traditions. From these two ideas I hope to get some “refreshment” for our contemporary political philosophy, and I consider them as logical extensions of democracy. On the other hand, I argue also that the traditional conception of non-acting ruler in the Legalist context should be modified with the Western ideas of the separation of powers and transparency of government; and even that this modification would be more consequent and realistic also in terms of the original Chinese idea itself.
Rad najprije utvrđuje da iz pojma prvobitnog znanja (liangzhi 良知) Wanga Yangminga王陽明 (1472. – 152... more Rad najprije utvrđuje da iz pojma prvobitnog znanja (liangzhi 良知) Wanga Yangminga王陽明 (1472. – 1529.) ne slijedi subjektivni idealizam te da je vezan za transcendentalnu subjektivnost u smislu fenomenologije. Zatim, raspravlja se o pitanju ima li Wang pojam prvobitne sposobnosti (liangneng 良能). Argumentira se da se može naći u dvije glavne Wangove teme – »znanje i radnja jedno su« (zhixing heyi 知行合一) te »razmatrati Nebo i Zemlju i mnoštvo stvari kao jedno (rizomatično) tijelo« (以天地萬物為一體) ili ih smatrati »izvorno jednim s mojim (rizomatičnim) tijelom« (本吾一體). Pokazuje se da su prvobitno znanje i sposobnost dva aspekta isto fenomena. Istinito je na razini virtualnog »rizomatskog tijela« (ti 體), a ne na razini stvari razmatranih kao potpuno oblikovane i aktualizirane (xing 形), kako se pojavljuju u empirijskom umu, zamagljeni žudnjama (yu 欲) koje postaju fiksirane na razini aktualnog. Te se žudnje mogu razriješiti putem »proširenja (prvobitnog) znanja« zhi (liang)zhi 致(良)知. Usporedni poj...
Deleuze has presented one of the richest ontologies in 20th century philosophy, and its conceptua... more Deleuze has presented one of the richest ontologies in 20th century philosophy, and its conceptual machinery could be more fully used also in Sinology. This article focuses on two of his concepts: actualization and counter-actualization. Actualization proceeds from the virtual and through the intensive processes of individuation moves towards actual structures. Counter-actualization proceeds in the opposite direction, and starting from the actual, through creative involution discovers intensities and the virtual. It has the aspects of making a body without organs, creating intensities, and diversifying them. Actualization by differentiation is a common understanding of genetic processes in the Chinese tradition in general, and in the Zhuangzi in particular. In this article, Deleuze’s concepts are used to (re)interpret the account of differentiation in the story of the death of Zhuangzi’s wife, and the strange story from the chapter “Ultimate Joy” where “horses engender men.” Counter...
Artiklis uurime digihumanitaaria vahendite rakendatavust Marek Tamme ja Kalevi Kulli väljapakutud... more Artiklis uurime digihumanitaaria vahendite rakendatavust Marek Tamme ja Kalevi Kulli väljapakutud "Eesti teooria" kontseptsioonile.
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture Theory, 2020
A comment on the "Estonian theory" by Marek Tamm and Kalevi Kull, "Interdisciplinary Approaches t... more A comment on the "Estonian theory" by Marek Tamm and Kalevi Kull, "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture Theory", eds. Anu Kannike, Katre Pärn, Monika Tasa. Tartu: University of Tartu Press, 2020, pp. 67-69.
Kõigepealt teen ekskursi keele genealoogiasse ja seejärel räägin
nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastava... more Kõigepealt teen ekskursi keele genealoogiasse ja seejärel räägin nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastavalt keele neljale « mõõtmele » (vrd. Deleuze 1969 : 22-35): osutamine (1) objektile, (2) subjektile, (3) tähendusele ning (4) algsele näole. Seal, kus ma nendest osutustest kõnelen, olen sulgudesse lisanud prantsuskeelse termini vastava keelevalla kohta.
Cuvier oli oma ajastule tüüpiliselt väga laia haardega loodusuurija ja mõtleja. Elusolend on tema... more Cuvier oli oma ajastule tüüpiliselt väga laia haardega loodusuurija ja mõtleja. Elusolend on tema järgi sidus tervik, mille kõik osad sõltuvad üksteisest ja on üksteisega seotud. Briljantse anatoomina uuris ta mitmesuguseid loomarühmi ja lõi uue teadusliku distsipliini, võrdleva anatoomia. Nende uurimuste tulemusena leidis ta, et loomadel on neli põhilist kehaehituse plaani ning jagas loomariigi selle järgi neljaks hõimkonnaks. Ühtlasi uuris ta väljasurnud liike; nende mahukate tööde põhjal peetakse teda selgroogsete paleontoloogia rajajaks. Evolutsiooniide arenguloos on Cuvier kuulus kui evolutsiooni eitaja ja katastroofide teooria pooldaja. Vastandlikku kuulsust lisavad sellele õpetlasele ka tema väga kõrged kohad riigiametis ja mõjuvõimas positsioon ladvikus. Ent ometi oli tema kirg teadus ja tõde.
In 2001 and 2006, Carine Defoort and Rein Raud published, on the pages of "Philosophy East and We... more In 2001 and 2006, Carine Defoort and Rein Raud published, on the pages of "Philosophy East and West", four articles on the topic of the Chinese philosophy. Revisiting this topic fourteen years later, what has changed? I touch upon the topics of what is philosophy, of different roles in an activist movement, the role of attachment and detachment, de-centering and re-centering.
In philosophical as well as in religious writings, the common existence is often depicted as slav... more In philosophical as well as in religious writings, the common existence is often depicted as slavery or, more generally, as entanglement, and those philosophical and religious writings are supposed to offer some program, how to become free from the slavery or entanglement. In different ages and in different places several strategies have been proposed, and I would like to describe two of them. Broadly speaking, one focuses on doing something and the other on undoing something. To exemplify these two different methods, I have chosen two texts from two different ages and cultures: first, Plato from 4 th century BC Greece, and second, Linjilu, a chan-buddhist text from 12 th century AD China that purportedly relates happenings of 9 th century AD.
“Travelling” or “roaming” (you 遊/游) is one of the key notions of Zhuangzi. I would like to gather... more “Travelling” or “roaming” (you 遊/游) is one of the key notions of Zhuangzi. I would like to gather under this idea different stories from Zhuangzi that describe (1) dislocation in space like in swimming (the passage of Confucius and the master-swimmer) or going into the forest (the carver of bell-stand), (2) actions in one place (cook Ding, catcher of cicadas), and (3) zero-degree action of “sitting and forgetting”, where the “body is like dry wood and mind like dead ashes”. I argue that they all express a basically similar attitude or practice, and that there is continuity between these different degrees of activity and dislocation: it is an expression of “heaven” (in contrast to “man”). The difference here is not between activity/passivity or motion/immobility, but between on the one hand partiality and obstructedness (in which case there is no real travelling/roaming even while moving from one place to another), and on the other hand being inclusive and unobstructed (in which case there is a real free roaming also while sitting in one spot).
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nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastavalt keele neljale « mõõtmele » (vrd.
Deleuze 1969 : 22-35): osutamine (1) objektile, (2) subjektile, (3)
tähendusele ning (4) algsele näole. Seal, kus ma nendest osutustest
kõnelen, olen sulgudesse lisanud prantsuskeelse termini vastava
keelevalla kohta.
nelja tüüpi osutamisest, vastavalt keele neljale « mõõtmele » (vrd.
Deleuze 1969 : 22-35): osutamine (1) objektile, (2) subjektile, (3)
tähendusele ning (4) algsele näole. Seal, kus ma nendest osutustest
kõnelen, olen sulgudesse lisanud prantsuskeelse termini vastava
keelevalla kohta.