2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. How is it you never thought of making it into an enormous vessel for yourself and floating through the lakes and rivers in it? Dordrecht: Springer. WebThinking outside of convention vs. Huizi's logic Turn gourds into buoys The value of uselessness The useless tree - because its not useful to the world it can grow and Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings. Chai, David. If there werent other places where Zhuangzi seems to poke fun at so many people and schools of thought, arguably including Daoist thought,24 then we could be more confident in making a straightforward conclusion about what Zhuangzi likely thinks of Master Chariots all-embracing and arguably excited attitude towards his dramatically changing body and life. Huizi took the utility of gourds as being their usefulness as containers or drinking vessels, and so concluded that the gourds in question being too large for this purpose had no utility; Zhuangzi pointed out that there is a perspective that Huizi had not considered -- utility not as a container but as a raft -- from which this is not so. 29I will end with one of my favorite passages in the Zhuangzi, from chapter 26 in which he writes, a trap is for fish: when youve got the fish, you can forget the trap. Das wahre Buch vom sdlichen Bltenland. volume20,pages 133148 (2021)Cite this article. Assignment: the stories of chuang tzu - Proficient Experts If you are content with the time and abide by the passing, theres no room for sorrow or joy. Even if we are confident about what to do in an imaginary case, the criticism has been raised that thought experiments dont actually reflect a truth about reality; rather, they just reflect our beliefs about reality13. The debate between Zhuangzi and Huizi has profound epistemological significance, however, the main body of their debate comprises logical inferences and refutations. Hansen, Chad. Words are for meaning: when youve got the meaning, you can forget the words.26 Zhuangzis fantastical stories, along with the most beloved Western thought experiments, are devices that philosophers use to communicate a certain message, and in Zhuangzis case it might be a message that goes beyond words. Indianapolis: Hackett. Schipper, Kristofer, trans. Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of Dao Begins in Qing. Philosophy East and West 53.2: 271281. Now had I used this for holding liquids, it would have been too heavy to lift; and had I cut it in half for ladles, the ladles would have been too flat for such purpose. Each moment, the opportunity to switch between Huizi and Zhuangzi presents itself. New York: Bantam Books. Guiyang : Guizhou Renmin Chubanshe . Zhuangzi, aka Chang Tzu, aka Zhuang Zhao, was a Chinese Taoist master, c. 300 AD. Even though the lessons are in story form, that doesnt mean that they are easy to decipher. Les fondements philosophiques de la rhtorique chez les sophistes grecs et chez les sophiste chinois. One reason Sign up to the Wild Isle Mailing List for exclusive previews, updates, and opportunities. We use cookies to improve your website experience. Then I will explain some differences in the way Zhuangzi presents and uses fictional anecdotes. new essays on wine, taste, philosophy and aesthetics, arte, psicologia e realismo. Zhang, Gengguang , trans. Sartres gnarly tree root and Zhuangzis useless tree: - Medium Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This so-called Trolley Problem was originally introduced by Philippa Foot5, but arguably was made famous by Judith Thomson6, and it is used in many discussions of either utilitarian moral theory or the ethics of killing versus letting die, with regards to certain scenarios in bioethics. Napoli: Universit degli Studie di Napoli LOrientale.. 2003. Whereas the trees in the industrial forest are straight and look alike, the crooked tree grew alone, or with a mixture of other trees of different ages and species. Theory of Non-Emotion in the Zhuangzi and Its Connection to Wei-Jin Poetry. Journal of Chinese Philosophy 40.2: 340354. And like Zhuangzis creative innovation, turning a gourd into a boat, the greater, higher man recreates what is possible for himself. His logic must be correct, as proven by its consistency with itself; therefore, he feels justified in taking vengeancein mocking, destroying, demolishing, and abolishing all those things which make him too keenly aware of the conflict. HuiZi said to ZhuangZi, "The Prince of Wei gave me a seed of a large-sized kind of gourd. Zhuangzi: The Inner Chapters. Or consider the story of Huizi and the yard-long gourd that was too big to be a ladle so Huizi smashes it because it was useless.20 Zhuangzi then tells a story about a smart traveler who knew how to make good use of an ointment for chapped hands. 1968. Zhuangzi said, The minnows swim about so freely, following the openings wherever they take them. Zhuangzi. She knows an enormous amount of information about color, much more than you or I do, but is there anything she doesnt know about color if she has only read all about it? Despeux, Catherine. Machek, David. Zhuangzis and Huizis stroll is described as rambling around, which is you () in Chinese. Si, L , trans. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sheesh! In fact, in Zhuangzis case, the featured voices are often non-human. Moreover, by elaborating on the implicit premises omitted by Zhuangzi and Huizi, the actual logical process of the debate can be restored, and the logical fallacy of clandestine change of argumentative issue are revealed. Zhuangzi says to Huizi, The ability to prevent chapped hands was the same in either case. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427 (last accessed on November 27, 2020). The lack of full clarity and explanation is precisely what invites and allows the observer to make something out of the work for herself and thus arguably makes the piece, or whatever is taken from it, more memorable. 2003. 2009. He accomplishes this through something reminiscent of a Socratic Dialogue. Wandering on the Way. Jackson uses this thought experiment to argue that because Mary gains some knowledge the first time she sees red, she didnt know everything to know about color through knowing all the physical facts about color and so, he says, the thesis of physicalism (i.e., the idea that everything is physical) is false.8. First, we demonstrate that, while Huizi probably understands qing as something like feelings or emotions, Zhuangzis view is that having qing is connected with making shifei judgments whereas having no qing means that shifei has no grip on those ren, especially the shengren. He hobbled over to look at his reflection in the well. This is the dialectical nature of the universe we discussed in the previous analysis, a nature that runs to the bottom of existence itself. <> China. Early Confucian Perspectives on Emotions. In Dao Companion to Classical Confucian Philosophy, edited by Vincent Shen. While Laozi and Zhuangzi cause us to break out of the mundane meanings, categories and concepts that clutter and carve up our mindscape, they point to an even One thing that does seem clear is that Zhuangzi advances the view that anything one asserts is necessarily from a certain perspective. Zhuangzi then states to him Youcertainly are dense when it comes to using big things! Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. In this sense, though the stories are often fantastic, the book is meant to offer a realistic lesson in the uselessness of trying to figure out life.18 So that might be the message stop trying so hard to understand, to look for a (main) point, to have things to make sense. Wandering on the Way. Well end by analyzing a parablea conversation between logician Huizi and a fictionalize version of Zhuangzi himself: Huizi said to Zhuangzi, The King of Wei gave me the seed of a great gourd. Nothing Can Overcome Heaven: The Notion of Spirit in the Zhuangzi. In Hiding the World in the World: Uneven Discourses on the Zhuangzi, edited by Scott Cook. Sartres gnarly tree root and Zhuangzi 5Thought experiments have long been used in philosophy as a way to raise questions or pursue knowledge through considering hypothetical situations. Anecdotes and thought experiments in Zhuangzi and Western The Drunkards And The Tavern A Poem by Rumi, An illustrated ebook of Vigyan Bhairav Tantra translated by Lakshman Joo. A Complete Translation of the Zhuangzi [in modern Chinese] . Oxford: Oxford University Press. The Philosophy of Life: A New Reading of the Zhuangzi. Zhuangzis Doctrine of No-Emotion (pre-production draft). 1994. Jackson has actually since changed his position on the thesis of physicalism and he no longer thinks its false. Some scholars have suggested that Huizis argument is self-contradictory; however, in fact, based on such evaluations of Huizis argument, we can conclude that Zhuangzis logic is also self-contradictory. I cannot stress enough the importance of being an independent individual in order to achieve success in language learning. Morgan, Jeffrey. It wasnt that they werent wonderfully big, but they were useless. His language did not hit his target the intent to make sense of things. This suggests that Zhuangzi saw Hui Shi as caught in a paradox. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6, https://www.academia.edu/35172330/Zhuangzis_Doctrine_of_No_Emotions_forthcoming_in_Dao_Companion_to_the_Philosophy_of_the_Zhuangzi_Kim_Chong_Chong_and_Kai_Yuan_Cheng_eds_final_draft, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427, http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuang.html. So I smashed them.2. 2012. WebZhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall when Zhuangzi said, See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! Schipper, Kristofer, trans. In Dao Companion to the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi, edited by Kim-chong Chong and Kai-Yuan Cheng. I planted them, Albany: State University of New York Press. Why not lash them together like big buoys and go floating on rivers and lakes instead of worrying that they were too big to dip into anything?21. Nozick, R., 1974,Anarchy, State, and Utopia, New York, Basic Books. New York: Seven Bridges Press. 1920. endobj A New Examination of Evidence about the Zhuangzi. Toung Pao 96.4/5: 299369. Beijing : Shangwu Yinshuguan . Part of Springer Nature. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6, https://www.academia.edu/35172330/Zhuangzis_Doctrine_of_No_Emotions_forthcoming_in_Dao_Companion_to_the_Philosophy_of_the_Zhuangzi_Kim_Chong_Chong_and_Kai_Yuan_Cheng_eds_final_draft, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427, http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuang.html. This is what Jonathan Dancy suggests9. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email. vres De Tchoang-Tzeu. Ren, Songyao. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Again on Qing: With a Translation of the Guodian Xing Zi Ming Chu. Oriens Extremus 47: 97159. What is there to dislike? Monica Link, Anecdotes and thought experiments in Zhuangzi and Western philosophy ,Rivista di estetica, 72|2019, 7-18. ______, trans. We show that these peaceful attitudes are associated with the idea of wuwei in the Zhuangzi. 2015. Shun, Kwong-loi. Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the bridge over the Hao River. In the latter case, the focus is on the idea or question raised, which, Ive suggested, is made patently obvious in a good thought experiment. For example, consider the story in Chapter 6 of a man who is physically deformed. 1995. Dancy is mainly concerned with thought experiments in ethics, and in defending a version of moral particularism, although some of what he says can be applied to thought experiments generally. Afterwards, one leaves behind the fantastical elements of the thought experiment and is just left with a proposition about human morality, epistemology, etc. To smash it into pieces is to say, This thing is just a waste of space and a frustration for me. The debate between Zhuangzi and Huizi has profound epistemological significance, however, the main body of their debate comprises logical inferences and 2003. I will then discuss some of the fictitious anecdotes that appear in the Zhuangzi. Chuangtse . Wang, Rongpei, trans. 2014. For example, one could say, as a utilitarian, Im committed to maximizing happiness and minimizing pain so if there is a choice between letting five people live and one die or five die and one live, then I will do the former. https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427 (last accessed on November 27, 2020). Qing (Emotions) in Pre-Buddhist Chinese Thought. In Emotions in Asian Thought: A Dialogue in Comparative Philosophy, edited by Joel Marks and Roger T. Ames. Ma, Lin, and Jaap van Brakel. In comparing the features of Western thought experiments to fables from Zhuangzi, we will see that although Zhuangzis stories would likely fail to be considered good philosophical thought experiments (according to the Western tradition), the very thing that makes them fail is arguably what allows the writings of Zhuangzi to continue to inspire philosophical reflection and dialogue. 3099067 But one gained territory while the others never escaped bleaching silk because what they used it for was different. Leiden: Brill. What, if anything, are you morally required to do? Sometimes they are also in extraordinary situations, sometimes not. You . Register a free Taylor & Francis Online account today to boost your research and gain these benefits: An International Journal of the Philosophical Traditions of the East, A logical analysis of the debate on Hao River, Department of Philosophy, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, /doi/full/10.1080/09552367.2022.2108108?needAccess=true. Lin Ma. Frank Jackson7 writes about a brilliant neuroscientist named Mary who has extensive knowledge of all of the physical facts about color. Klein, Esther. Nothing Can Overcome Heaven: The Notion of Spirit in the Zhuangzi. In Hiding the World in the World: Uneven Discourses on the Zhuangzi, edited by Scott Cook. This frees the mind to see the value of the Daoist way of life. 2004. Emotionless in Confucianism and Daoism: A New Interpretation. Journal of Chinese Philosophy 38.1: 118133. Does that mean Zhuangzi approves of Master Chariots accepting attitude? 2015. Zhuang Zi . Huizi and Zhuangzi about gourds; the story of Cook Ding (sometimes called Butcher Ding); and the story of Wheelwright Pian. Must? The maker of things is really knotting me up.Master Sacrifice said, Do you dislike it?He said, Not at all. Please read this book to learn how to take advantage of the abundant language resources and opportunities for communication that surround you. Chapter One ends with Zhuangzi If he turns my buttocks into wheels and my spirit into a horse, Ill climb aboard. Albany: State University of New York Press. As we learned with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, philosophy has