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A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity - an ancient Chinese ideal that cognitive scientists are only now beginning to understand - and why it is so essential to our well-being Why is it always hard to fall asleep the night before an important meeting? Or be charming and relaxed on a first date? What is it about a politician who seems wooden or a comedian whose jokes fall flat or an athlete who chokes? In all of these cases, striving seems to backfire. In Trying Not To Try, Edward Slingerland explains why we find spontaneity so elusive, and shows how early Chinese thought points the way to happier, more authentic lives. We've long been told that the way to achieve our goals is through careful reasoning and conscious effort. But recent research suggests that many aspects of a satisfying life, like happiness and spontaneity, are best pursued indirectly.



About the Author

Edward Slingerland

I'm Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, and was educated at Princeton, Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley. My areas of specialty include Chinese thought, comparative religion, cognitive science, and the relationship between the sciences and the humanities. In addition to academic journal articles in a wide range of fields, I've written several scholarly books, including What Science Offers the Humanities, Mind and Body in Early China, and a translation of the Analects of Confucius. My first book for a popular audience, Trying Not to Try, came out from Crown (Random House) in March 2014, and my second trade book, Drunk, was published by Little, Brown Spark in June 2021. After living most of my life in the States (New Jersey, then California for 16 years) , I'm now a U.S.-Canada dual citizen and live in Vancouver, although I still spend as much time as possible on the coast of Northern California. You can find out more about my work and the various research projects that I'm involved in at my website: edwardslingerland.com



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