Exploring Power, Virtue, and Authority in Chinese Medicine

Like everything else, power is a two-sided coin. It can be coercive and oppressive, but it can also be empowering and nurturing. And according to ancient Chinese texts, true authority is based on ethical inspiration rather than coercion. As physicians, we are in a position of authority—not by claiming the power, but by earning it from competence in our trade. 

Our position of influence demands that we use our expertise and influence to help others—and this starts from our own mastery of yangsheng. People will willingly follow someone with virtue; de.

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power."

—Lao Tzu

In this conversation with Sabine Wilms, we explore the complex dynamics of power and the idea of a virtuous hierarchy borne out of the authority of competence. We also bat around the inadequacies of translations and the limitations of language. And as a storyteller at heart, Sabine weighs up the concept of yangsheng using some popular Chinese teaching tales.

Listen into this discussion on mastering the art of yangsheng (養生) as a practitioner, the role of virtue de (德 ), medical ethics, the dynamics of power, and stepping into your ming (命).