DOCSLIB.ORG

Machek Dissertation Final Version

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Machek Dissertation Final Version Virtuosos of the Ordinary Comparative Interpretations of Daoist and Stoic Thought by David Machek A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by David Machek, 2015 Virtuosos of the Ordinary Comparative Interpretations of Daoist and Stoic Thought David Machek Doctor of Philosophy Department of East Asian Studies University of Toronto 2015 Abstract “Virtuosity in the ordinary” is an idea, attributed by this work to the ancient Stoicism and Zhuangzi’s Daoism, that it is possible to achieve an extraordinary excellence in the realm of ordinary, mundane activities. This possibility is based on the view that there is a perfect fit between one’s psychological and cognitive faculties and the structure of reality. By achieving such a perfection, one not only achieves personal fulfillment but also fulfills one’s role in the overarching scheme of things. Within this interpretive framework, the work reconstructs two different versions of this idea in two different cultural contexts. By so doing, it pursues two goals. First, it seeks to use the comparative perspective to engage with existing interpretations of Stoicism and Zhuangzi’s Daoism. In particular, it challenges the view that Stoics were rigid moralists utterly indifferent towards the ordinary world and values, and the tendency to understand Zhuangzi as an anti-rationalist. Second, it tries to interpret the differences between Stoic and Daoist versions of the virtuosity in the ordinary in light of larger divergences between the two intellectual traditions. It suggests that the overarching conceptual dichotomy in the ancient Greek and Roman tradition was that of rational and non-rational, while in the Chinese tradition it was that of artificial and natural. ii Acknowledgments My most sincere thanks go to my academic mentors: to Prof. Vincent Shen, my supervisor, for his guidance and encouragement at different stages of the program; to Prof. Brad Inwood for helping me to recognize and plant the promising ideas and abandon the others, as well as for his commitment to make this work as erudite as possible in its presentation of Greek and Roman material; and to dr. Curie Virág for her effort to improve my discussion of early Chinese materials and to enhance my appreciation of the pleasures of academic rigor. I would also like to express my gratitude to my wife, Markéta, for her relentless patience and encouragement in the process of dissertation writing, as well as for her help with the final editing and formatting of this manuscript; and to my daughter, Anežka, who made me more sensitive of the pleasures of handling ordinary tasks. iii Table of Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................................vi 1. The Rationale of the Comparison ..................................................................................vi 2. The Goals and Agenda................................................................................................ xiii 3. The Comparative Method: Reason Versus Nature? ....................................................xvi 4. The Ancient Outlook: Embeddedness and Wholeness ...............................................xxv 5. Overall Structure and the Outline of Chapters............................................................xxx 6. A Note on Texts and Translations ........................................................................... xxxii Part One: The Top (or the Macroscopic Perspective) Chapter One: Freedom as Doing Necessary Things..........................................................2 1. Freedom in the Zhuangzi ................................................................................................4 2. Freedom in Stoicism .....................................................................................................10 3. Positive, or Negative Freedom?....................................................................................14 4. Underlying Assumptions: Authentic Self and the Structured Unity of All Things ......19 Part Two: The Middle Chapter Two: Ethics of Efficacy .......................................................................................27 1. Zhuangzi’s Archer Simile in Context of Early Chinese Ideal of “Non-action” (wuwei 無為) .................................................................................................................................29 2. Telos and Skopos: The Stoic Archer Simile in the Context of the Greek Thought ......34 3. Zhuangzi Revisited: Indifference Towards the External as the Pleasure from the Internal ..............................................................................................................................40 4. Stoics Revisited: The Aesthetic and Efficacious Dimension of the Wise Man’s Action ..........................................................................................................................................43 5. The Big Picture Difference in Light of Cross-cultural Comparison.............................48 Chapter Three: Ordinary Crafts and Extraordinary Wisdom ......................................54 1. The Craft of Living in the Zhuangzi : Yes, or No?.......................................................57 2. Zhuangzi: Virtuoso Craftsmen as Embodiments of Sagehood.....................................63 3. Stoics: The wisdom as perfection of first-order crafts..................................................67 4. The Upshot: Top-down vs. Bottom-up Approach ........................................................72 iv Part Three: The Bottom (or the Microscopic Perspective) Chapter Four: Ethics of Perception ..................................................................................76 1. Sense-perception in the Zhuangzi .................................................................................78 2. Stoics: Perception as Passivity?....................................................................................82 3. Eggs and Twins: “Expert Presentation” and “Grasping Presentation”.........................84 4. Expertise as a Unity of Mind and Eye ..........................................................................87 5. “The Wise Man Neither Mis-sees Nor Mishears” ........................................................90 6. “Training of Presentations” ..........................................................................................96 Chapter Five: Emotions that Do Not Move....................................................................102 1. The Overview of Evidence and Scholarly Debates ....................................................105 2. Emotions that Do Move Us: Passions as Excessive Additions ..................................111 3. The Emotions that the Nature Prescribes for Us.........................................................118 4. The Joy of the Wise Man............................................................................................124 5. Diverging Evaluations of the Involuntary/Self-Emerging/Natural Feelings ..............127 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................130 Bibliography......................................................................................................................134 v Introduction And if from the moment they get up in the morning they adhere to their ideals, eating and bathing like a person of integrity, putting their principles into practice in every situation they face – the way a runner does when he applies the principles of running, or a singer those of musicianship – that is where you will see true progress embodied, and find someone who has not wasted their time making the journey here from home. (Epictetus, Diss. 1.4.20) ‘Excellent’, said Lord Wenhui. ‘Listening to the words of the butcher, I have learned from them how to nurture life.’ (Zh. 3.1) And none of the virtuous men makes a mistake about the road or his house or his target. (Stob. Ecl. 2.11m=IG 102) The genuine person of ancient times slept without dreaming and awoke without worries; he simply ate what was put before him, and his breathing was deep and profound. (Zh. 6.1) 1. The Rationale of the Comparison In his opus magnum Sources of the Self, Charles Taylor coined a term “affirmation of ordinary life” as one of the major defining features of modernity. The “ordinary life” encompasses various activities associated with “production and reproduction, that is labour, the making of the things needed for life, and our life as sexual human beings, including marriage and the family” (Taylor 1989: 241). Historically, Taylor locates the tendency towards the affirmation of the ordinary life to early modern times and links it closely with the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism. The shift that he reconstructs consists in a relocation of the idea of the good life from the realm of high, noble activities such as major vi philosophical, political or military pursuits, to the realm of mundane, everyday concerns with economical and biological prosperity. The contrast that he draws, crudely put, is that of antiquity, which premised the human flourishing on extraordinary achievements, and modernity, which programmatically turned towards the here and now of the ordinary life. Perhaps the most exemplary representation of the ancient paradigm of the good life, according to Taylor,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Skepticism and Pluralism Ways of Living a Life Of
    SKEPTICISM AND PLURALISM WAYS OF LIVING A LIFE OF AWARENESS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ZHUANGZI #±r A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHILOSOPHY AUGUST 2004 By John Trowbridge Dissertation Committee: Roger T. Ames, Chairperson Tamara Albertini Chung-ying Cheng James E. Tiles David R. McCraw © Copyright 2004 by John Trowbridge iii Dedicated to my wife, Jill iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completing this research, I would like to express my appreciation first and foremost to my wife, Jill, and our three children, James, Holly, and Henry for their support during this process. I would also like to express my gratitude to my entire dissertation committee for their insight and understanding ofthe topics at hand. Studying under Roger Ames has been a transformative experience. In particular, his commitment to taking the Chinese tradition on its own terms and avoiding the tendency among Western interpreters to overwrite traditional Chinese thought with the preoccupations ofWestern philosophy has enabled me to broaden my conception ofphilosophy itself. Roger's seminars on Confucianism and Daoism, and especially a seminar on writing a philosophical translation ofthe Zhongyong r:pJm (Achieving Equilibrium in the Everyday), have greatly influenced my own initial attempts to translate and interpret the seminal philosophical texts ofancient China. Tamara Albertini's expertise in ancient Greek philosophy was indispensable to this project, and a seminar I audited with her, comparing early Greek and ancient Chinese philosophy, was part ofthe inspiration for my choice ofresearch topic. I particularly valued the opportunity to study Daoism and the Yijing ~*~ with Chung-ying Cheng g\Gr:p~ and benefited greatly from his theory ofonto-cosmology as a means of understanding classical Chinese philosophy.
    [Show full text]
  • L Rathnam Dissertation
    The Politics of Skepticism: Montaigne and Zhuangzi on Freedom, Toleration, and the Limits of Government by Lincoln Edward Ford Rathnam A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto © Copyright by Lincoln Edward Ford Rathnam 2018 ii The Politics of Skepticism: Montaigne and Zhuangzi on Freedom, Toleration, and the Limits of Government Lincoln Rathnam Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science 2018 Abstract: Contemporary political discourse often centers on a shared set of normative commitments: freedom, toleration, and limited government. This dissertation examines the theoretical basis for these commitments, through a comparative study of two eminent skeptics: Michel de Montaigne and Zhuangzi. Both develop forms of skepticism that are rooted in analyses of the phenomena of diversity and disagreement. They contend that our inability to reach convergence on central philosophical questions demonstrates the fundamental limitations of human knowledge. I argue that both offer novel and powerful arguments connecting these skeptical epistemological theses with the relevant normative commitments. In particular, both take skepticism to advance human freedom, by clearing away obstacles to effective action. As beings who are raised within a particular community, we inevitably acquire certain habits that constrain the forms of thought and action open to us. Skepticism helps us to recognize the contingency of those forms. In the interpersonal realm, both writers contend that skepticism generates an attitude of toleration towards others who live differently. This is because it undermines the theoretical claims upon which most forms of intolerance are constructed. I defend this claim with reference to the various forms of intolerance that existed in each writer’s context, Warring States era China and France during the Wars of Religion.
    [Show full text]
  • Selections from the Zhuangzi: Chapter 3, "The Secret of Caring for Life"
    Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) S E L E C T I O N F R O M T H E Z H U A N G Z I : C H A P T E R 3 , “ T H E S E C R E T O F C A R I N G F O R L I F E ” Introduction Zhuangzi (also called Zhuang Zhou) was an historically verifiable man who lived somewhere around 360-280 BCE. The long book that bears his name is a combination of material that represents his own thinking and of other writings incorporated by various compilers and editors. Like Confucius, Mencius, Han Fei and others, Zhuangzi lived during the time when the kings of the Zhou dynasty had little real power and the kingdom had disintegrated into feudal states that were constantly at war with each other in shifting patterns of alliances and enmities. During the Warring States period (480-221 BCE), Zhuangzi and Laozi were not considered to be part of a single school of thought. Zhuangzi is more concerned with escaping from the world; Laozi, with cunning ways of ruling it. During the Han dynasty, both works’ concern with the Dao (the “Way” of Heaven) and their mystical understanding of that term inspired historians to lump them together under the single category of “Daoism.” The name stuck. Zhuangzi and Laozi are now forever linked as the two great progenitors of Daoist philosophy and religion. Selected Document Excerpt with Questions From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol.
    [Show full text]
  • The Philosophy of Zhuangzi and the Commentatorial Tradition of Guo Xiang
    THE PHILOSOPHY OF ZHUANGZI AND THE COMMENTATORIAL TRADITION OF GUO XIANG Desislava Damyanova Guo Xiang (also known as Kuo Hsiang or Zixuan) is the author of the most important commentary on Zhuangzi – one of the classical Daoist texts.1 He is also known as the person who implemented the current arrangement of thirty-three chapters divided into inner, outer and miscellaneous sections. Although Guo’s initial aim might have been to elucidate the ideas in the original text, his commentary on Zhuangzi represents a substantial philosophical achievement compared to the core text. It contains many original ideas and we shall examine the textual issues on which he is commenting in a try to get a deeper insight into their meaning. Guo Xiang2 practiced his philosophical pursuits this way – within the framework of the Daoist classic – and his manner has served as a blueprint for the later Neo-Confucian synthesis of the Chinese thought. 1 There is some controversy in the recent years over the true authorship of Guo’s commentary - the earliest source, the Jin Shu (Standard History of the Jin Dynasty), accuses Guo Xiang of plagiarizing all but two chapters of the commentary from Xiang Xiu (d. 300 CE, writing a generation earlier). “Current scholarship, while acknowledging that Guo made use of Xiang Xiu’s work and other earlier commentaries, still credits Guo as the principal author. The evidence for this recognition falls into three main areas. Firstly, the most innovative philosophical features in the commentary do not correspond with those in other works by Xiang Xiu. Secondly, in the early twentieth century, a postface to the commentary was discovered which details the work Guo carried out and finally, various linguistic analyses and references in other works suggest that Guo is the principal author.” <http://www.iep.utm.edu/guoxiang/>10.10.2012 2 Actually very little is known about the life of Guo Xiang: he lived in a time of great political upheaval and his own career was one of consistent and significant success.
    [Show full text]
  • A Reconstruction of Zhuangzi's Philosophy on Transcendence
    religions Article The Big and the Great: A Reconstruction of Zhuangzi’s Philosophy on Transcendence Limei Jiang Center of Value & Culture, School of Philosophy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; [email protected] Received: 29 November 2018; Accepted: 25 December 2018; Published: 4 January 2019 Abstract: This essay attempts to demonstrate the logic of Zhuangzi in his different attitudes toward “debate on big and small” by bringing into discussion the two versions of translation in the English languages, which provide a new approach to analyze the difference in the controversial commentaries on Zhuangzi. This essay points out that the ideal of “free and easy wandering” is a type of positive pleasure. By means of rational thinking and imagination, one’s searching for the external values is turned into the internal pursuit for wisdom in the transformation of things. Zhuangzi’s theory of transcendence not only provides the subject with multi-perspectives, but also substitutes the self-identity with self-value. Through the interaction between self-awareness and self-reaction, the subject can be unified with the great Dao through purposive activities. However, Guo Xiang’s commentary cancels the necessity of self-cultivation and negates the purposefulness of the subject, which underestimates the value of Zhuangzi’s construction of transcendence. Keywords: positive pleasure; purposiveness; self-awareness; self-reflection; no-self 1. Introduction The “debate on big and small” (xiaoda zhi bian小'K¨) was raised in the first chapter, Free and Easy Wandering (xiaoyaoyou逍e8), of the Zhuangzi. It is also discussed in other chapters such as On Making Things Fit Together (qiwulunPiº) and Autumn Waters (qiushuiË4).
    [Show full text]
  • The Limit of Language in Daoism Koji Tanaka
    Asian Philosophy Vol. 14, No. 2, July 2004, pp. 191–205 The Limit of Language in Daoism Koji Tanaka The paper is concerned with the development of the paradoxical theme of Daoism. Based on Chad Hansen’s interpretation of Daoism and Chinese philosophy in general, it traces the history of Daoism by following their treatment of the limit of language. The Daoists seem to have noticed that there is a limit to what language can do and that the limit of language is paradoxical. The ‘theoretical’ treatment of the paradox of the limit of language matures as Daoism develops. Yet the Daoists seem to have noticed that the limit of language and its paradoxical nature cannot be overcome. At the end, we are left with the paradoxes of the Daoists. In this paper, we jump into the abyss of the Daoists’ paradoxes from which there is no escape. But the Daoists’ paradoxes are fun! Introduction ‘Don’t be guided by any guidance!’ is a paradoxical guidance. The only way to be guided by the guidance is by not being guided by it. But not being guided by the guidance, we are guided by it. How can we be guided or not be guided by this guidance? The main theme underlying Daoism is the paradox of this sort. The Daoists noticed the paradoxical nature of the guidance such as above. They ‘played’ with the paradox throughout the development of Daoism.1 This is not the picture that is painted by the dominant view of Daoism, however. Traditionally, Daoism is considered as mysticism.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyrighted Materials
    Contents ls ia er Preface..................................................at ix M Introduction .............................................ed xiii ht Key to Abbreviations .......................................ig liii yr op Part I Texts and Translations : C ss 1. Deng Xi: Deng Xizi...................................e 2 Pr 2. Yin Wen: Yin Wenzi ..................................g 44 3. Hui Shi’s Conversations with Zhuangon Zhou (Zhuangzi) ....... 114 K 4. Paradoxes (Theses) of Hui Shi gand Others ................. 162 5. Gongsun Long: Gongsun Longzion (Dao Zang Version).......... 198 H 6. Gongsun Long: Gongsunf Longzi (Modern Version) ........... 266 o ity Part II Testimonia et Fragmentars 1. Dynastic Historiesve ................................... 318 ni 2. Zuo Qiuming:U Zuo Zhuan ............................. 340 3. Zhuang Zhou:e ............................... 342 es Zhuangzi 4. Xun Kuang/Qing:n Xunzi............................... 366 hi 5. Han C Fei: Han Feizi ................................... 376 6. heLie Yukou: Liezi ..................................... 386 7.T Lü Buwei: Lü Shi Chunqiu ............................. 398 8. Liu An: Huainanzi ................................... 426 9. Liu Xiang: Zhanguoce ................................. 436 10. Huan Kuan: Yantie Lun ............................... 446 11. Liu Xiang: Shuo Yuan................................. 448 12. Liu Xiang and Liu Xin ................................ 454 13. Yang Xiong: Fa Yan .................................. 462 14. Huan Tan: Huanzi Xinlun ............................
    [Show full text]
  • Nature Naturing Ziran in Early Daoist Thinking A
    NATURE NATURING ZIRAN IN EARLY DAOIST THINKING A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHILOSOPHY MAY 2018 By Jing Liu Dissertation Committee: Roger T. Ames, Chair Franklin Perkins, Co-chair Steve Odin Chung-Ying Cheng David McCraw Kai Zheng Keywords: Nature, Ziran, Daoism ABSTRACT Due to the worsening environmental situation, the relation between nature and humans has been reflected on by environmental philosophers. However, we often find that the very meaning of nature has not been brought to light. So what is nature? My thesis shows that ziran in early Daoism offers us an alternative to the modern concept of nature as an object to be controlled and exploited for human purposes. Ziran is the very process of the transformation of dao and things, in which the intimacy of dao, things and humans is kept. My thesis presents ziran or nature as a way of life that penetrates dao, things, and humans. It is with the understanding of ziran that the nature of humans and all things are illuminated. Daoist ziran also sheds light on the creativity of a feminine power as the realization of nature which emphasizes the interplay between the female and the male (yin and yang), setting a contrast with any exclusively patriarchal principle of the relationship between humans and “nature.” While ziran offers us an alternative to the modern concept of nature, the investigation on ziran seeks dialogue with Western thoughts. By questioning the meaning of nature through the lens of Daoist ziran many important terms in western philosophy, e.g., being and nonbeing, permanence and transience, truth, reality, freedom and so on are reinterpreted and gain refreshed meanings.
    [Show full text]
  • Modern Daoism 149 New Texts and Gods 150 Ritual Masters 152 Complete Perfection 154 Imperial Adaptations 157 an Expanded Pantheon 161
    Contents Illustrations v Map of China vii Dynastic Chart viii Pronunciation Guide x Background to Daoism 1 Shang Ancestors and Divination 2 The Yijing 4 Ancient Philosophical Schools 8 Confucianism 10 Part I: Foundations 15 The Daoism That Can’t Be Told 16 The Text of the Daode Jing 17 The Dao 20 Creation and Decline 22 The Sage 23 Interpreting the Daode Jing 25 Lord Lao 28 Ritual Application 30 At Ease in Perfect Happiness 35 The Zhuangzi 36 The World of ZHuang ZHou 38 The Ideal Life 41 Poetic Adaptations 43 The Zen Connection 46 From Health to Immortality 50 i Body Energetics 51 Qi Cultivation 52 Healing Exercises 54 Magical Practitioners and Immortals 59 Major Schools of the Middle Ages 64 Celestial Masters 65 Highest Clarity 66 Numinous Treasure 68 The Theocracy 70 The Three Caverns 71 State Religion 74 Cosmos, Gods, and Governance 80 Yin and Yang 81 The Five Phases 82 The Chinese Calendar 85 Deities, Demons, and Divine Rulers 87 The Ideal of Great Peace 92 Cosmic Cycles 94 Part II: Development 96 Ethics and the Community 97 The Celestial Connection 98 Millenarian Structures 100 Self-Cultivation Groups 103 Lay Organizations 105 The Monastic Life 108 Creation and the Pantheon 114 Creation 115 Spells, Charts, and Talismans 118 Heavens and Hells 122 ii Gods, Ancestors, and Immortals 125 Religious Practices 130 Longevity Techniques 131 Breath and Sex 134 Forms of Meditation 136 Body Transformation 140 Ritual Activation 143 Part III: Modernity 148 Modern Daoism 149 New Texts and Gods 150 Ritual Masters 152 Complete Perfection 154 Imperial
    [Show full text]
  • Where Have All the Souls Gone? a Comparative Study on the Theme of Death in the Phaedo and Zhuangzi
    SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 289 June, 2019 Where Have All the Souls Gone? A Comparative Study on the Theme of Death in the Phaedo and Zhuangzi by Ying Zhou Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS FOUNDED 1986 Editor-in-Chief VICTOR H. MAIR Associate Editors PAULA ROBERTS M ARK SWOFFORD ISSN 2157-9679 (print) 2157-9687 (online) SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series dedicated to making available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor-in-chief actively encourages younger, not yet well established scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including romanized modern standard Mandarin and Japanese, are acceptable. In special circumstances, papers written in one of the Sinitic topolects (fangyan) may be considered for publication. Although the chief focus of Sino-Platonic Papers is on the intercultural relations of China with other peoples, challenging and creative studies on a wide variety of philological subjects will be entertained. This series is not the place for safe, sober, and stodgy presentations. Sino-Platonic Papers prefers lively work that, while taking reasonable risks to advance the field, capitalizes on brilliant new insights into the development of civilization. Submissions are regularly sent out for peer review, and extensive editorial suggestions for revision may be offered.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Chinese Philosophy, Volume 3
    ROUTLEDGE HISTORY OF WORLD PHILOSOPHIES VOLUME 3 Routledge History of World Philosophies Since the publication of the first volumes in 1993, the prestigious Routledge History of Philosophy, edited by G.H.R. Parkinson and S.G. Shanker, has established itself as the most comprehensive chronological survey of Western philosophy available. It discusses the most important philosophical movements from the sixth century BC up to the present day. All the major figures in Western philosophy are covered in detail in these volumes. The philosophers are clearly situated within the cultural and scientific context of their time. Within the main corpus of the Routledge History of Philosophy, the Jewish, Islamic, and Chinese traditions are discussed in the context of Western philosophy, with which they are inextricably linked. The History of Islamic Philosophy, the History of Jewish Philosophy, and the History of Chinese Philosophy are designed to supplement the core volumes by dealing specifically with these three philosophical traditions; they provide extensive analysis of the most significant thinkers and concepts. In keeping with the rest of the series, each volume has a comprehensive index and bibliographies, and includes chapters by some of the most influential scholars in the field. ROUTLEDGE HISTORY OF WORLD PHILOSOPHIES VOLUME 3 HISTORY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY Edited by Bo Mou First published 2009 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2009 Bo Mou for selection and editorial matter; individual contributors for their contributions All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Dream of the Butterfly.’ Philosophical Analysis of Western Reception
    The Polish Journal of Aesthetics Vol. 32 (1/2014) * Agnė Budriūnaitė The Tension Between Illusion and Reality in Zhuangzi’s ‘Dream of the Butterfly.’ Philosophical Analysis of Western Reception Abstract Zhuangzi (Qi wu lun - One of the most important allegories of Daoism is the ‘Dream of the Butterfly’ in the second chapter of the ). Sometimes it is supposed to be a rep- resentation of all Daoistwu wei or even all Chinese philosophyziran in the West. This allegory encompasses fundamental Daoist notions, such as spontaneity, ‘free and easy wan dering,’ non-action ( ), natural self-alternation ( ), the no-perspective of a sage andZhuangzi the understanding of correlation between life and death. The purpose of- this paper is a philosophical analysis of the relationship between illusion and real- ity in the looking from the ‘Western’ perspective. To achieve this, I will re- view some of the most distinct English translations of the allegory that show possible multiple meanings of the allegory and many fundamentally different, sometimes op posite interpretations of it and discuss theZhuangzi significance of the relationship between illusion and reality. There is a huge body of academic literature Zhuangziabout translating and interpreting the texts ascribed to the . I will mention only some of the commentaries and will pay more attention to other stories of the , looking there for the explication and explanation of the main ideas found in the ‘Dream of the Butterfly.’ Key words allegories in Daoism, Zhuangzi, illusion, reality, forgetting * Department of Philosophy, Centre for Asian Studies Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania Email: [email protected] 138 Agnė Budriūnaitė Translation and Understanding of the ‘Dream of the Butterfly’ Reading of a Chinese text for us, Westerners, is a real challenge.
    [Show full text]