Intercultural dialogue on ecopedagogy between Daoism and Naess’ ecosophy: Comparing and integrating Chinese and Western ecological wisdom

Abstract

Dialogues between ecological wisdom across the East and the West contribute to generating unorthodox education, improving cross-cultural ecopedagogical praxis, and reinforcing education for sustainable development (ESD). In this article, Chinese Daoism and Norwegian Naessian ecosophy are compared and integrated to form an intercultural ecopedagogy. Indigenous Daoist wisdom entails profound ecopedagogical implications in learning from nature, human-nature reciprocity, and spontaneous, altruistic, and harmonious modes of action. Moreover, the cosmo-metaphysical notion of qi (氣) implies an alternative ecopedagogy that may empower learners to consolidate psychosomatic learning and embody human-nature oneness. Correspondingly, Arne Naess’ life philosophy promotes ecocentric living and education that underline experiential relations, non-violent symbiosis, and activeness in sensing and feeling. Naess’ postulation on subjective aesthetical identification with nature can be seen as one sensible complement to objective scientific knowledge of the ecosystem, facilitating individuals’ holistic and personally meaningful formation of be(com)ing ecocitizens. The reciprocity of Lao Zhuang’s and Naess’ ecological wisdom is argued to shed new light on theories and practices of ecopedagogy and combat dualism and anthropocentrism cross-culturally and innovatively.