# Review ## Review Date [[2022-12-03]] #note/sourcereview/book | #source/book📚/nonfiction ## What is the thesis? [[Wu Wei]] is a paradox that just is, if we acknowledge it's existence we can live with it and recognize the role it plays in our life and the way we can maximize living with this paradox. ## Am I convinced and why? Yes. I feel this is a valid representation of one of the struggles with being a human. Striving for [[De]] seems to be a way to struggle, but focusing on specific behaviors and cultivating them may add up to projecting De which is a goal for where I'm at. ## Summarize the argument ### Introduction ### Chapter 1: Skillful butchers and graceful gentleman: The Concept of Wu-Wei [[De]] [[Wu Wei]] [[The human brain is designed primarily for guiding action]] ![[Trying Not to Try-Notebook.pdf]] ### Chapter 2: Drunk on Heaven: The social and spiritual dimensions of Wu-Wei "if you were to keep track of the activities that induce wu - wei in me or anyone else , you’d be able to piece together a rough outline of what sorts of things a person values or doesn’t . You’d also be able to tell whom they value, and whom they don’t, and this is perhaps of even greater importance ." ### Chapter 3: Try Hard Not to Try: Carving and Polishing the Self ### Chapter 4: Stop Trying: Embracing the Uncarved Block ### Chapter 5: Try, but Not Too Hard: Cultivating the Moral Sprouts ### Chapter 6: Forget About It: Going with the Flow ### Chapter 7: The Paradox of Wu-wei: Spontaneity and Trust ### Chapter 8: Learning from Wu-wei: Living with Paradox ## What is the other side of the argument? ## What else do I wonder about? ## Action ## When do I want to stumble across this? ## Source: Slingerland, E. G. (2014). _Trying not to try: The art and science of spontaneity_ (First Edition). Crown Publishers. ## References, Quotes, Ideas ```dataview table file.mtime.year + "-" + file.mtime.month + "-" + file.mtime.day as Modified from [[Trying Not To Try]] and !outgoing([[Trying Not To Try]]) sort file.mtime desc ```