Title

Zhuangzi as Spectator: An Interpretation of Zhuangzi’s Political Thought from the Perspectives of Arendt and Honneth

Author

Genre

Pages

421-451

DOI

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Language

Chinese

Key words

Abstract

This article discusses how Zhuangzi, as a “spectator,” thinks about the issues of disparity and value conflict. Contemporary Taiwanese research focuses on whether Zhuangzi’s thought eschews political participation and belongs to the “philosophy of recluses,” or whether it contains political elements and allows for the possibility of political criticism and participation. In order to relate Zhuangzi’s political insights to discussions of contemporary political thought, the second half of this article references the theories of Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Axel Honneth as partners in dialogue. Zhuangzi advocates a certain type of political thought, which does not directly intervene in politics, but which nonetheless plays a role in political affairs and the public sphere. That is, Zhuangzi’s political thought enlarges people’s mentalities and enables them to form judgments in a contemplative way. In addition, the article provides a brief summary and discussion of Honneth’s views on the impartial “spectator” and “mutual recognition” in order to demonstrate why his concept of the “spectator” is significant to a community engaged in equal dialogue.