Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)

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Life and Knowledge: Perspectives from Ancient Chinese Philosophies to Ancient Near East Cultures

Authors
Noble Lo1, *, Anson Sinn2
1Lecturer, College of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
2Kowloon, Hong Kong
*Corresponding author. Email: noble.lo@cpce-polyu.edu.hk
Corresponding Author
Noble Lo
Available Online 29 December 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_24How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Daoism; Confucianism; Hebrew Bible; Knowledge; Life; Positive Psychology 2.0
Abstract

This paper evaluates philosophies from Ancient Chinese philosophies and Ancient Near East cultures to consider their potential for applying second-wave positive psychology, also known as positive psychology 2.0 (hereafter “PP 2.0”). This book chapter offers alternative insights into alternative psychological perspectives related to knowledge and life. Rather than adopting the popular aphorism of scientia potential est (knowledge is power), we posit that dialectical philosophical thoughts in ancient China, based on Confucian and Daoist perspectives, suggest that lifelong learning and knowledge acquisition may have both positive and negative effects on life. Likewise, similar dialectical attitude towards knowledge and life is prevalent in the Ancient Near East cultures in the Book of Proverbs and Book of Ecclesiastes. These philosophies/cultures are compared and contrasted and critically discussed to unravel the nuance whereby knowledge may be viewed as a source of power or strength vis-à-vis a burden or source of grief at the same time. The book chapter concludes with a synthesis based on PP 2.0 that seeks to achieve a mid-point balance, where the pursuit of knowledge should be contextual and circumstantial, allowing for nourishment and flourishing in life while avoiding the burdensome quest for knowledge for its own sake.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities
Publication Date
29 December 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-954-4
ISSN
2667-128X
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_24How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Noble Lo
AU  - Anson Sinn
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - Life and Knowledge: Perspectives from Ancient Chinese Philosophies to Ancient Near East Cultures
BT  - Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 315
EP  - 324
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_24
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_24
ID  - Lo2025
ER  -