Toward Pluralizing Reflection in HCI through Daoism

2026-01-30

AI Summary

Existing reflection-support technologies in human-computer interaction predominantly emphasize cognitive rationality and individual improvement, often overlooking embodiment, relationality, and cultural diversity. This study systematically introduces Daoist philosophy for the first time to address these gaps. Through textual analysis of classical Daoist writings and semi-structured interviews with 18 practitioners, we identify three core dimensions of everyday reflection: stillness (Jing), responsiveness (Ying), and generativity (Sheng). Building on these insights, we propose a novel “co-being reflection” framework that transcends conventional reflective paradigms by centering on embodiment, relationality, and ethical orientation. This framework offers both a theoretical foundation and design implications for developing interactive systems that support culturally diverse reflective practices.

Technology Category

Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Philosophical Foundations of AIHumans and AI: Interaction Techniques and DevicesCognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction

Application Category

User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalizationResponsible Web: Social and technical mechanisms of refusal for web technologies and applicationsEconomics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Fairness and ethical considerations in crowd work and in human-in-the-loop AI systems

Abstract

Reflection is fundamental to how people make sense of everyday life, helping them navigate moments of growth, uncertainty, and change. Yet in HCI, existing frameworks of designing technologies to support reflection remain narrow, emphasizing cognitive, rational problem-solving, and individual self-improvement. We introduce Daoist philosophy as a non-Western lens to broaden this scope and reimagine reflective practices in interactive systems. Combining insights from Daoist literature with semi-structured interviews with 18 Daoist priests, scholars, and practitioners, we identified three key dimensions of everyday reflection: Stillness, Resonance, and Emergence. These dimensions reveal emergent, embodied, relational, and ethically driven qualities often overlooked in HCI research. We articulate their potential to inform alternative frameworks for interactive systems for reflection, advocating a shift from reflection toward reflecting-with, and highlight the potential of Daoism as an epistemological resource for the HCI community.

Problem

• reflection
• HCI
• Daoism
• pluralism
• interactive systems

Innovation

• Daoism
• reflection
• stillness
• resonance
• emergence