RECONSIDERING THE CONTEXT OF CRISIS: a response from early chinese thought

It has become an academic cliché to note that our world is full of crises. The standard understanding of crisis identifies it as a significant break with the status quo. And at least since the Enlightenment, thinkers have noted that crisis can also be an opportunity; we can use the significant disruptions to the norm for effecting reinventions of ourselves and societies. Early Chinese thought, especially Confucianism and Daoism, were born out of crisis–huge changes to socio-political order, continuous wars, and breaks with the natural order were all part of the impetus for developing and continuing these philosophical traditions. However, they did not celebrate the breakdown of the status quo as opening possibilities. In a world of constant transformation, they measured changes against and idealized dao or “the way things should be.” When things are oriented towards an idealized dao, then they should be revered. Any change that moves things away from dao is simply bad. This article will explore some general comparisons between these differing conceptions of crisis, and focus on how Confucian and Daoist texts can be utilized as resources further exploring how we might think about and respond to crises.