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A review by brice_mo
The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master by Takuan Soho
2.0
One of those situations where I understand the impulse to call a text “deceptively simple,” but that in itself would be deceptive.
Despite its standing as a historic text, there just isn’t much here aside from the kind of internet stoicism and broad moral prescriptivism that appeals to would-be “poet warriors.”
In reality, if you have to have a book mysticize the need to be good, you’re probably already in trouble. Furthermore, this text feels ethically irresponsible—rather than calling readers to move gently through the friction of the world, the author seems to insist that it is possible to avoid or resist this friction entirely.
The freedom to do so is contingent on your social power, so I would argue that doing so merely stratifies social classes and all the baggage that come with them.
Despite its standing as a historic text, there just isn’t much here aside from the kind of internet stoicism and broad moral prescriptivism that appeals to would-be “poet warriors.”
In reality, if you have to have a book mysticize the need to be good, you’re probably already in trouble. Furthermore, this text feels ethically irresponsible—rather than calling readers to move gently through the friction of the world, the author seems to insist that it is possible to avoid or resist this friction entirely.
The freedom to do so is contingent on your social power, so I would argue that doing so merely stratifies social classes and all the baggage that come with them.