The Wes Cecil Podcast

There are many critiques of the power of ideology to shape our perception of the world and freeze us in a sense of powerlessness. However, less discussed is that while we may feel nothing really changes, in many ways the world has changed dramatically in a relatively short period of time. When we reject our cultural presumptions about the world, we can liberate our past, presents and future. A few...

In Chapter two of Chuang Tzu, we read a clear questioning of the value of ‘Truth’ and the inability of the language to reliable capture the reality we experience. If we move from a concept of truth to one of engagement, discussion, reflection and conversation we are much closer to the Taoist approach to knowing than when we argue about ‘Truth’ or ‘Right’ or ‘Goodness’. Join Wes on Patreon for a de...

As if just to illustrate the ideas we’ve been exploring, the students of France are out on the streets to protest the latest French government budget. Not only is this a repeat of some of the key elements that led to the revolt in May 1968, it also underlines the degree to which the government will go to not have to admit they have utterly failed to deliver on its many promises over the last 20 ye...

The popular American conception of balance associated with Taoism is almost entirely misleading and very probably anti-thetical to the core principles of Taoism. While the ancient Chinese had a word for balance as in a balance beam or equal scales, this word never appears in the Tao Te Ching. Rather it uses the words for Harmony, Middle, Stillness and Equilibrium. Our concept of placing two things...

Camus’ critique of Romanticism is grounded in a belief in the contingency of human existence. We are not isolated heroes who can, or perhaps cannot, utterly transform the world. We are limited humans living in an environment shaped by forces beyond our control or even comprehension. As such, we can at best attempt to resist according to our own sense of joy while keeping our communities in mind. H...

Chapter 14 of Chuan Tzu presents a Taoist reflection on perhaps the single vexing problem in our lives - the other people. Taoism argues for a natural approach to other people that will remove us from the shackles of expectations, obligations, and unnatural modes of reciprocal behavior. Chuang Tzu acknowledges the difficulty, yet it remains necessary to address this central problem if we are to ha...

Following on last episode's discussion of the philosophical critiques of how commoditization influences our world, I thought it would be worth taking a moment to reflect in a concrete fashion on how our imaginations are used against us to distort the world and colonize our subconscious. I’ve been a bit heavy with the references so I thought I’d save a few up for next time. Join Wes on Patreon...

What rises in the Taoist tradition when one is tranquil is pleasure. This simple idea is almost universally ignored or obscured in the Taoist tradition - yet it is central to both the literate and folk tradition. Living in accordance with the Tao is living with pleasure. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas we explore on the podcast. It’s a space for lifelong learners — with bonus...

One of the significant challenges of our current environment is that our own imaginations have been turned against us. Much of our needs come from our imaginations and are very much focused on the way acts and products signify - their sign value. What this means is that our very real desire for change ends up being recuperated and being sold back to us products that reinforce the very system we wi...

While Taoism emphasizes knowing and being nothing, it does have a positive value - tranquility. Virtually ignored as a value in the Western tradition with its powerful focus on “meaning” and “knowing” Taoism focus on feeling the world and, it argues, the feeling should be tranquil. Chapters 15 and 16 of the Tao Te Ching are central to these ideas. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ide...

The overriding narrative of revolution features a defined enemy inhabiting a defined space that we can, with courage, suffering and sacrifice, overthrow and inaugurate a new and better world. However, as Kafka and Musil demonstrated we live in a world that is diffuse, multi-layered and without center. These more uncomfortable and less entertaining versions of our world demonstrate the fundamental...

Taoism posits that the meaninglessness of life is not a basis for Nihilism but for Joy and Liberty. The palpable despair imparted by the advance of science and the increasing awareness of the triviality of humanity on a universal scale disoriented - and perhaps is still disorienting - virtually every culture in the world. Taoism, however, provided an inspiring response to these problems 2,600 year...

2,000 years ago Cicero warned us against the idea that other people are functionally prey from whom we extract the profit. Unfortunately, his arguments have been forgotten and we inhabit a society that insists that the exploitation of others is not only acceptable but necessary and admirable. As Deleuze and Guattari and others have demonstrated, this logic leads to an idea of the self that is enti...

While Taoism emphasizes ‘not knowing’ it does so in a very different way than Socrates’s claim of knowing what he does not know. In Chapter 17 of Chuangtzu we encounter a classic example of both the limits of knowledge and the importance of experience to the Taoist tradition. In many ways, Taoism refutes the entire basis of the Platonic/Socratic tradition that underlies most of the western philoso...

Resistance rather than revolution and Joy rather than suffering. Within our contemporary cultural environment, understanding the tensions in how we respond to the world can help feel more powerful. Creating meaning and joy will also transform our sense of ourselves and, by extension, our world. Books Mentioned:  Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right by Karl Marx The Rebel by Albert Camus Ma...

Taoism’s view of the world is dramatically opposed to the standard outlook of western civilization. Life has no meaning, no path, no truth, no goal and no actual relationship to individuals. This can be read as a type of early Absurdism or as a liberatory outlook that frees us from fundamentally misunderstanding our relationship with nature. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas we...

Our world is inundated with ‘information’ that is designed to mislead and disorient us. I suggest a few approaches to help us develop our own understanding of our world and ourselves to help combat one of the fundamental challenges I at least encounter almost everyday. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas we explore on the podcast. It’s a space for lifelong learners — with bonus le...

The goal of Taoism is Harmony with the Tao. However, unlike traditions like Buddhism, Christianity, or Stoicism, Taoism does not view this as a static goal to be completed. Rather, like Jazz Music, the melody of life keeps changing and evolving and the key is to continually evolve ourselves to stay in harmony. Nature does not stop and neither should we. Taoism is a dynamic concept that invites us...

A few questions have come in about teaching so I thought I would spend a moment reflecting on my approach to teaching. Mostly, I think simply valuing whatever subject you are teaching and enjoying the students will create the best experience for everyone. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas we explore on the podcast. It’s a space for lifelong learners — with bonus lectures, course...

I encountered the notion that the Tao Te Ching in particular and Taoism in general is really not for. Rather, it was written for a ruling political elite in ancient China and that we misunderstand its political message when we read it as a guide for living for lowly peoples in the modern world. While this argument has some merit in a very narrow sense, in the broader context of Taoism and history...

The research is perfectly clear that the single greatest determinant of our longevity, health and happiness is having a few meaningful relationships. It is in other humans that humans find their greatest sense of purpose and wellbeing. Unfortunately, as is the theme of the entire series, our current society makes bonding meaningfully with other humans both difficult and, indeed, a bit unnatural. T...

I realized that perhaps more helpful than comparing Taoism withing the context of Mohism, Legalism and Confucianism would be to compare it to Calvinism. Calvinism, derived from Platonism, is THE dominant cultural influence in much of the west and comparing the key elements of the Calvinist and Taoist worldviews side by side is, I hope, edifying. Join Wes on Patreon for a deeper dive into the ideas...

A lot of the narrative around our struggles with the modern world focuses on individual responsibility. However, the rates of stress, sleep troubles, prescription drug use, depression and more all point to a systemic problem not a personal one. Our struggles are neither personal nor accidental, the systems we inhabit seriously challenge our ability to live simple, human lives. Join Wes on Patreon...

Two tales from Chuang Tzu emphasize how we consistently pay too much attention to Language rather than Experience and hence stay confused. By emphasizing the importance of the individual and experiencing over knowing, Taoism consistently resists the concept of universal or even broad ‘truths’. When one learns to think in this fashion, it highlights how much we rely on agreeing with the ‘known’ to...

As one cultivates a sense of the human it is difficult to not notice how inhuman much of the world is. Our encounters with people and the environment around us will be a constant reminder and challenge for pursuing our own humanity. The aftermath is a seemingly inescapable level of friction as one slowly unwinds both internal and external patterns that have shaped our outlook and habits for much o...