Museums and Visitors as Yin and Yang: Applying Taoist Philosophy to Museum Studies

Abstract

A frequently asked question in the museum field is how to attract more visitors. As there are more and more educational programmes and interactive projects, museums start to ask the second question, which is how to get the participants involved. The two questions are deeply related, and both of them lead to the third question: how to find the balance in the relationship between museums and visitors? After the analysis of these questions, the thesis turns to Taoism for the answers. According to philosophical Taoism, the two parties of any relationship can be seen as Yin and Yang. When there is an imbalance between Yin and Yang, conflicts appear in the relationship. Taoism provides both the philosophical guidance and the practical methodology to solve the problems. Three of the most important Taoist concepts are Equality, Experience, and Wu Wei. After introducing the concepts, this thesis explains how they can be applied to the relationship between museums and visitors. The two case studies provide examples of the application of the three concepts in museum issues.