Description

Book Synopsis

Looks at the Daoist Zhuangzi''s critique of Confucianism.

The Daoist Zhuangzi has often been read as a mystical philosopher. But there is another tradition, beginning with the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, which sees him as a critic of the Confucians. Kim-chong Chong analyzes the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, demonstrating how Zhuangzi criticized the pre-Qin Confucians through metaphorical inversion and parody. This is indicated by the subtitle, "Blinded by the Human," which is an inversion of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi''s remark that Zhuangzi was "blinded by heaven and did not know the human." Chong compares Zhuangzi''s Daoist thought to Confucianism, as exemplified by Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. By analyzing and comparing the different implications of concepts such as "heaven," "heart-mind," and "transformation," Chong shows how Zhuangzi can be said to provide the resources for a more pluralistic and liberal philosophy than the Confucians.

Zhuangzis Critique of the Confucians Blinded by

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    A Paperback by Kim-chong Chong

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      Book details

      Publisher State University Press of New York (SUNY)
      Published 7 February 2017
      ISBN-13 9781438462844
      978-1438462844
      ISBN-10 1438462840
      Also in:
      Confucianism

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Looks at the Daoist Zhuangzi''s critique of Confucianism.

      The Daoist Zhuangzi has often been read as a mystical philosopher. But there is another tradition, beginning with the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, which sees him as a critic of the Confucians. Kim-chong Chong analyzes the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi, demonstrating how Zhuangzi criticized the pre-Qin Confucians through metaphorical inversion and parody. This is indicated by the subtitle, "Blinded by the Human," which is an inversion of the Confucian philosopher Xunzi''s remark that Zhuangzi was "blinded by heaven and did not know the human." Chong compares Zhuangzi''s Daoist thought to Confucianism, as exemplified by Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. By analyzing and comparing the different implications of concepts such as "heaven," "heart-mind," and "transformation," Chong shows how Zhuangzi can be said to provide the resources for a more pluralistic and liberal philosophy than the Confucians.

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