Sober Philosophy: Dao De Jing Chapter 4 (Mark Presents, OAR, AZF)

Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang's 2019 translation (Dao De Jing in Clear English):

1. Dao is a bottomless cup that need not be filled.
2. Profound and deep, it is the root of ten thousand things.
3. It blunts sharpness, loosens tangles,
4. Softens brightness, makes us as dust.
5. Deep and profound! It barely exists.
6. I don't know whose child it is.
7. It appeared before the great kings

James Legge's 1891 translation (Chinese text project https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing):

1. The Dao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fullness.
2. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!
3. We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications of things;
4. we should temper our brightness, and bring ourselves into agreement with the obscurity of others.
5. How pure and still the Dao is, as if it would ever so continue!
6. I do not know whose son it is.
7. It might appear to have been before God.

Symptom-free (of potentially contagious disease) people with the capacity to listen considerately to diverse viewpoints are invited to attend after successfully RSVPing.

We begin the discussion at 7:30 pm sharp in the mezzanine of the Graduate Hotel. Feel free to come up to 30 minutes early and hang out with us beforehand. After you come down the stairs we may be in either the main room on your left or in the conference room around the corner on your right.

OPTIONAL AUDIO RECORDING (OAR):
This meeting will be audio recorded for conversational dynamics analysis and testing purposes. This recording will not be made publically available. We will pause the audio recording for any person that requests it while they are speaking.

AMAZON FORMAT (AZF):
We will begin the meeting by taking turns reading lines aloud from the above 2 English translations together. Anyone who does not want to read aloud is welcome to pass when its their turn.

OPENING ROUNDTABLE FORMAT (ORF):

1. The topic presenter begins the discussion by explaining why they are interested in the topic and some introductory thoughts on it.
2. Each participant in turn going clockwise from the presenter describes their general thoughts on the topic.
3. If one is not ready to speak they can just say “pass” and the next person speaks.
4. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to comment.
5. Once everyone has given opening remarks or passed twice, Opening Roundtable is completed and the meeting shifts into its main format.

TIMED DIRECTION FORMAT (TDRF>5):
If there are more than 5 people present we will use the format below.

1. We will divide up the timed direction discussion time by the number of participants plus one (for a buffer). A timer will be set for this amount of time.
2. Each participant in turn will become a Discussion Director and lead the group discussion.
3. If one is not ready to direct they dimply say “pass” and the next person becomes the Discussion Director.
4. Anyone who arrives after step 1 (above), may participate but will not get a turn as Discussion Director.
5. The Discussion Director can make statements or ask questions, or interrupt or redirect the discussion at their discretion.
6. The discussion participants can state their own opinions only when asked by the Discussion Director, not Interrupt others and accede to the Discussion Director’s interruptions or redirections.
7. When the timer goes off the person speaking finishes their thought and then the next participant clockwise becomes the next Discussion Director.
8. After we've gone around once anyone who passed will get a second chance to direct.

At the end of the meeting, participants will have an opportunity to vote on the topic and format for the following meeting.