Xunzi's 'Jiebi' (Dispelling Obscuration): On the Wholeness of the Dao, Cognitive Limitation, and the Blessing of Unobscured Vision
This article offers an in-depth reading of the 'Jiebi' chapter of the Xunzi, exploring the cognitive roots of the 'calamity of obscuration' among the pre-Qin thinkers. Through an analysis of 'the Dao embodies constancy and encompasses all change,' it reveals the predicament of human cognition clinging to 'a single corner,' and elucidates the transcendent value of Confucius's 'benevolence and wisdom, unobscured,' with the aim of understanding how to overcome cognitive bias.
Chapter Ten: Archaic Myth and the Archetype of "Obscuration"
The themes of "complete knowledge" and "partial knowledge" already appear in archaic myths: Fuxi's all-encompassing observation ("upward, downward, near, far") produced the Eight Trigrams; Nuwa's repair of the sky with five-colored stones symbolizes the integration of diverse facets of cognition; Gonggong's breaking of Mount Buzhou ("Not-Complete Mountain") represents the calamity of incompleteness; the Yellow Emperor's legendary "four faces" symbolize comprehensive cognition achieved through selecting worthy persons to govern the four directions.
In the pre-Qin seasonal calendar, "Jing Zhe" (Awakening of Insects) — when hibernating creatures are roused by spring thunder — serves as a vivid analogy for "dispelling obscuration": Master Xun's theory is the thunderclap that awakens the schools from their wintry hibernation in one-corner views.
The archaic shamanic tradition (wu xi) also embodied the ideal of comprehensive cognition: the shaman's "wisdom could connect the meanings above and below, their discernment could illumine all, their acuity could hear through everything." Master Xun's "emptiness, unity, and stillness" represents a philosophical return to this archaic ideal of comprehensive cognition, now made available to all through cultivation rather than special spiritual gifts.