21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

Whereupon he rolls up his sleeves

And coerces them.

Therefore, when the Way is lost,

Afterwards comes integrity.

When integrity is lost,

Afterwards comes humaneness.

When humaneness is lost,

Afterwards comes righteousness.

When righteousness is lost,

Afterwards comes etiquette.

Tao te Ching (as translated by Victor H. Mair).

There is no thought here to having a ‘morality’ or a code of ethics. From within the Way there is no need. We are reminded that all explanations are just human constructs and therefore cannot reach any kind of explanation of reality — a theme of which we are best to remind ourselves constantly. The person of integrity doesn’t necessarily do nothing. This person however recognises that all action outside of the Way is a human construct and therefore is second best. Acting from within the Way cannot be defined, although potentially it could be lived. All responses separate action from being. But we are not separate from our action or inaction — we are our action in the world. In the previous chapter, we saw how Western culture has subordinated ethics to ontology, or morality to truth — in Grace Jantzen’s words — being (in the sense of embodying value) over existence. Jantzen goes on to look at how Levinas understands desire in terms of a response to the face of others — to their embodiment:

Levinas’ thinking, desire itself is reshaped by the face of the other, shaped into a response

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