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Editorial

The Impossible Issue

by Anja Steinbauer

“The winds rise in the north,
Blow west, blow east,
And now again whirl high above
Who breathes them out, who breathes them in?”

The classical Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi has once again hit the nail on the head: ideas arise and make their rounds, they are articulated, accepted or rejected by a variety of thinkers. His poem above is a small part of a long argument about putting philosophical ideas into perspective. Ultimately, Zhuangzi recommends rising above them altogether by trusting your own instincts.

‘Western’ philosophers may be forgiven for not agreeing or disagreeing with Zhuangzi. His style and conceptual framework are unfamiliar.

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