Ignorance is bliss : the Chinese art of not knowing /

This book examines the popular, yet puzzling, Chinese saying Nande hutu to uncover how the ancient Chinese wisdom of not knowing is constructed, interpreted, practiced and valued in contemporary society.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Matthyssen, Mieke (Author)
Other Authors:	Yang, Jie (writer of foreword.), Sundararajan, Louise (Contributor)
Format:	Book
Language:	English
Published:	New York : Palgrave Macmillan, [2021]
Series:	Palgrave studies in indigenous psychology.
Subjects:	Ignorance (Theory of knowledge) > Social aspects > China. Philosophical anthropology > China. Social psychology > China. Wisdom > Social aspects > China.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: the Chinese art of not knowing
Part I. Hutu in traditional society : 2. The Daoist sage fool and the Confucian learned man
3. The art of not knowing: a scholar's paradox
Part II. Hutu in contemporary society : 4. The modern wisdom of playing dumb
5. The wisdom of playing dumb in practice
6. The psycho-social appeal of the wisdom of playing dumb
7. The moral code of playing dumb
8. Conclusion: the culture of vagueness in transition
9. Postscript: Hutu at the crossroads of knowledge and information
Index.