Master Incapable: A Medieval Daoist on the Liberation of the Mind

The Hsu-Tang Library provides authoritative and readable translations of classical Chinese literature, including Master Incapable (Wunengzi), a Daoist work written in 887 during the Tang dynasty. The author, a former government official living as a recluse, witnesses internecine warfare, poverty, and social injustice and attempts to explain why humanity is plunging into chaos. His analysis focuses on the separation of humanity from the natural world due to an abnormal growth of the intellect. The way out of this predicament is to deconstruct conventional wisdom, rid oneself of desire and intentionality, and find one's way back to naturalness and effortless action. The work is fiercely egalitarian, criticizes superstition, offers a coherent philosophy of reclusion, and holds original views on life and death, language, and intellect in the animal world. This fully annotated translation is the first in English and includes an introduction to help explain its unique position in the history of Daoism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 20 December 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The Hsu-Tang Library offers authoritative and highly readable translations of classical Chinese literature, presented in bilingual editions spanning three millennia and the entire Sinitic world. "Master Incapable" (Wunengzi) is an important but relatively lesser-known Daoist work written in 887, during the final years of the Tang dynasty (618-907). The unknown author, a former government official now living as a recluse, witnesses the devastating effects of internecine warfare, widespread poverty, and rampant social injustice. In this work, he attempts to explain why humanity seems to be descending into a state of utter chaos.

At the core of Master Incapable's analysis lies his view of the separation of humanity from the natural world, resulting from an abnormal growth of the intellect. His critique is as radical as that found in the so-called primitivist chapters of the Daoist classic Zhuangzi, where civilization is portrayed as a disease spread by an intellectual and societal elite, known as sages. The author proposes a way out of this predicament, advocating for the deconstruction of conventional wisdom and the elimination of desire and intentionality. By doing so, he believes individuals can find their way back to naturalness and effortless action.

In terms of tone, "Master Incapable" is fiercely egalitarian, criticizing superstition and offering a coherent philosophy of reclusion. The author also holds highly original views on life, death, language, and intellect in the animal world. As a work of literature, it combines forcefully argued discussions and alternative interpretations on well-known historical episodes with glimpses into the private life of the philosopher, his family members, and his entourage. This fully annotated translation, the first in English, includes an introduction to help explain the unique position that "Master Incapable" occupies in the history of Daoism.

Weight: 392g
Dimension: 165 x 243 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197603277