Zhuang-zi and the Source of Humanism
Vol. 41 No. 4 06/2011
Title |
Zhuang-zi and the Source of Humanism |
Author |
Yang, Rur-bin |
Genre |
Article |
Pages |
587-620 |
Download |
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Language |
Chinese |
Key words |
Zhuangzi 莊子, humanism, chi-subject, goblet words, skill, Zhuangzi in the third phase |
Abstract |
The meaning of classics has yet to attain completion because such meaning is focused on the author—and authors never die. Zhuangzi resembles the other authors of the classics in that his thought has continued to grow and develop. It can be interpreted from various perspectives, including that of shamanism or Buddhism, literature or history, and even that of the Western philosophers Sartre and Heidegger. Given this, it goes without saying that Zhuangzi’s thought can also be interpreted from a Confucian point of view. However, it is important to stress that Confucian interpretations of Zhuangzi are not simply reconstructions made by later Confucians, but rather are based on strong evidence found within the text itself. In the history of Zhuangzi studies, “Confucian theories of the Zhuangzi” are certainly not unfamiliar. Yet, in the late Ming Dynasty, the implications of these theories began to unfold. At that time, the main issue in “Confucian theories of the Zhuangzi” did not concern disputes over Zhuangzi’s sectarian identity, but rather centered on how to define the core meaning of Zhuangzi’s thought. |