Abstract

This project integrates Chinese Philosophy and Tarot to create visual

representations of learning. The research involved introduces the work of Chinese

philosophers, Mengzi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, and the Analects, where dialogues

between students, kings, and sages are brought into conversation with patterns seen

among animals, spaces, and other aspects of the material world. The I.S. uses twenty

playing cards that I have designed, drawing inspiration from tarot and the Chinese

philosophers, as a way to examine and put into practice the relationship between these

patterns and ways of learning. Just as Chinese philosophers taught their knowledge in

particular spaces, with attention to the people and metaphorical potentials of these

spaces, I apply my cards as a form of visual reflection, becoming a means of knowing,

learning, and thinking about the propensity of situations. Many of the texts selected

for this research focus on the use of metaphors, space, and material objects to assist

with teaching. Many of the texts also contain important philosophical concepts such

as the Way 道, Nonaction 舞為, Vital Energy 氣, Virtue (or moral charism) 德, and

Nature 性. These concepts circulated amongst these philosophers, regardless of

whether they were associated with Daoism, Confucianism, or Legalism. The many

elements drawn from the work of these philosophers along with my own experience

with tarot, I believe can be help me to apply a strategy of learning that is responsive to

the relationship between space, people, and the material world.

Advisor

Bonk, James

Department

East Asian Studies

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2026 Maya S. Sauls