Continuous Decentering—Sextus and Dōgen

Abstract

Both Dōgen and Sextus argue that we are embodied, tied to a certain perspective, to certain sizes and times that we can grasp and make sense of and others that we are blind to. How to respond to our situatedness and epistemological limitations? Their call is to a continuous practice of situatedness—both of our claims and beliefs and those of others. Realizing our situatedness and that of others leads to a decentering that is never definitive. It is a realization that needs to be continuously reenacted. In each situation, we are encouraged to never stop the inquiry, never to be swayed by conflicting claims, never to stop searching for shared truths. Continuous decentering is the continuous attempt to examine and reassess personal beliefs, societal customs, disciplinary assumptions, provisional truths, and anything else that we tend to take as the truth. By continuous decentering and inquiry into other situatedness and noting the resulting views, we will pave the way for dialogue across differences, attuned response to the beings around us, and co-creation of our world.