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Teaching Chinese Philosophy Outside the Philosophy Classroom: Reflections on Contents, Methods, and Prospects

  • Mieke Matthyssen EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: May 17, 2025

Abstract

In this paper, I reflect on my way of teaching Chinese philosophy in non-philosophical settings. By starting from both common discourses and elements from Chinese indigenous psychology strongly rooted in traditional thought, I elucidate the deep-seated influences of Daoism and Confucianism in contemporary social phenomena. More particularly, I demonstrate the enduring relevance of mainly ancient Daoist concepts in modern therapeutic contexts by introducing some practical applications of Chinese philosophical teachings in everyday life settings and health contexts. I thereby zoom in on hybridized psychotherapies that illustrate the integration of Daoist principles with Western psychological techniques in mental health treatment. I also highlight the necessity of interdisciplinarity to critically investigate Chinese philosophy as dynamically informing contemporary discourses and practices. As a possible educational approach, I introduce a model of an interdisciplinary summer school on Daoism and healing practices that combines theoretical with embodied knowledge.

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Published Online: 2025-05-17
Published in Print: 2025-05-09

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Frontmatter
  3. Editorial Preface
  4. Preface
  5. I. Teaching Daoist Philosophy
  6. Experiences of Learning, Teaching, and Investigating Chinese Philosophy in Europe
  7. Zhuangzi as Educator: Spectatorial Engagement and Transcultural Understanding for Global Citizenship
  8. Teaching Chinese Philosophy Outside the Philosophy Classroom: Reflections on Contents, Methods, and Prospects
  9. From “Being and Time” to “Dao and Time”
  10. II. Teaching Confucian Philosophy
  11. How to Interpret Chinese Philosophy to the West—My Experience of Teaching Chinese Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin
  12. Teaching through Sublation: Political and Philosophical Confucianism
  13. Engaging with Li 禮 in the European Philosophy Classroom
  14. A Few Reflections from Central Europe on Teaching Chinese Philosophy
  15. Teaching Chinese Philosophy: From a “Skill-Based” to a “Thinking Through Early Chinese Philosophy” Approach
  16. The Teaching of “Chinese Philosophy” in Sinology Studies
  17. Look Back in Anger? Chinese Philosophy at Ruhr University Bochum
  18. III. Teaching Chinese Buddhist Philosophy
  19. Buddhism as Philosophy: Exercise in Observing Observation: The Nonduality of Paradoxical and Representational Thinking in Chinese Buddhism
  20. Ideas, Labels, and Boxes – The Three Teachings in Cheng Xuanying’s Early Tang Commentary to the Laozi and Some Reflections on our Scholarly Explorations of the Three Teachings
  21. IV. Miscellaneous
  22. Die Bildung abstrakter Begriffe in archaischen chinesischen Schriften: Humboldt’sche Perspektiven
  23. Chinesische Sprache und Schrift in philosophischer und kulturübergreifender Sicht—ein Vorlesungsplan
  24. Bio-Bibliography
  25. Name Index
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