Book Reviews

Boo k Reviews

The Way of Awareness in Daoist Philosophy

AUTHOR: James Giles

Th is book explores ancient Daoist philosophy and argues against interpretations that paint the early Daoist philosophers as mystics or cosmologists. It claims that Dao is best understood as awareness and that Daoist concerns are primarily with the nature of human experience, meditation, and our relation to the world. Th e Dao of Awareness starts by placing Daoist philosophy within the context of ancient Chinese thought. It then proceeds by critically engaging each of the major Daoist thinkers, works, or schools: Laozi, Yang Zhu, Zhuangzi, the Inward Training, Liezi, and NeoDaoism. It concludes by pointing to ways in which Daoist thought can off er insights into contemporary Western philosophy.

Th roughout the book, comparisons are drawn with Western thinkers, psychological research, and Buddhist thought. Th e book is both a scholarly examination of Chinese and crosscultural philosophy as well as an original work on ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind.

James Giles was born in Vancouver and studied at the University of British Columbia and the University of Edinburgh, where he gained a PhD in philosophy. He is an external associate professor of psychology at Roskilde University, Denmark, and tutor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge, Institute for Continuing Education. He has also taught at universities in Australia, Canada, Hawaii, and Guam, and has traveled widely through East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. His published works include Sexual Essays: Gender, Desire, and Nakedness; The Nature of Sexual Desire; Th e Search for Personal Identity; and A Study in Phenomenalis.

The Way of Awareness in Daoist Philosophy • 200 Pages • Hardback: $34.95 plus shipping and handling • PDF: $15M • ISBN: 978-1931483-45-2 www.threepinespress.com/ books

Full Potential: Daoist Wisdom Meets Western Psychology

AUTHOR: Livia Kohn

Blending modern psychology and Daoist wisdom into a recipe for the fully actualized person, this book shows how human beings form an integral part of the greater universe. Activated differently in the brain, subject to both genes and training, inherent aptitudes become apparent in diff erent stages of childhood development and are enhanced by optimal learning conditions, manifold forms of play, and conscientious parenting — leading to the realization of full potential and attainment of Daoist harmony.

Th is book off ers a unique presentation: none other pulls the same level of information together, let alone present it in such a vibrant and engaging way.

Chinese Daoism / Science / Psychology • 170 pages • Paperback ($27.95) • (PDFbook) / $15