Zhuangzi’s Cheng Xin and its Implications for Virtue and Perspectives

Chong, Kim-chong

doi:10.1007/s11712-011-9236-z

Cited by 14 publications

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“…Huizi's underlying problem is a mind that is clogged by “a lot of tangled weeds,” with “weeds” representing “traditional practices and habits of thought” (Chong, 2011, p. 439), “conventional common sense” (Van Norden, 1996, p. 260), and “conventional commitments and judgments” (Zhao, 2012, p. 151). The weeds are the “mental obstacles” (De Reu, 2010, p. 51) that prompt humans to evaluate, differentiate, and compete.…”

Section: Zhuangzi On Novelty and Usefulnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This text, alongside other Daoist classics, have an immense impact on Chinese culture for millennia (Berkson, 2005). An important clarification is that the written work Zhuangzi is the product of a group of unknown writers over a long period (Chong, 2011; Graham, 1986). Therefore, I shall use “Zhuangzi” throughout this essay to denote the authors of the text rather than the historical figure of Zhuangzi.…”

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Daoism, Novelty, and Usefulness: A Philosophical Exploration of Creativity

Tan

2022

Journal of Creative Behavior

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This paper elucidates a Daoist perspective of creativity by focusing on novelty and usefulness. Drawing on the thought of Zhuangzi, it is noted that he advocates original and unorthodox views by challenging social norms and traditional practices. He also questions the prevailing notions and assumptions concerning the usefulness and uselessness of things and people. To liberate humans from conventional commitment and judgment, Zhuangzi recommends two Daoist concepts. The first is "fasting of the heart-mind" (xin zhai) where a person empties oneself of preconceived ideas and practices. The second Daoist notion is "wandering" (you) where one responds to people, things, and situations in an open-minded, appreciative, playful, and spontaneous manner. There are three major implications arising from a Zhuangzian conception of creativity: it contributes to an existing literature gap on the philosophy of creativity, extends the research on Eastern formulations of creativity that hitherto have centered on Confucianism, and challenges and reconstructs the prevalent understandings and presuppositions concerning creativity and related terms.

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Section: Zhuangzi On Novelty and Usefulnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Daoism, Novelty, and Usefulness: A Philosophical Exploration of Creativity

Tan

2022

Journal of Creative Behavior

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“…20 20 According to Kim‐chong Chong (2011, 429) this passage “suggests that the heart‐mind is just one organ among the others and there is no true ruler.” …”

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Sense perception in theZhuangzi莊子

Lacertosa

2021

Philosophy Compass

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In this essay I explore the controversial issue of sense perception in the Zhuangzi 莊子. Although scholars have not explicitly addressed this aspect of the Chinese text, a common assumption is that the Zhuangzi proposes a mysticism that undermines sense perception in favour of a transcendent self. After an overview of this interpretation, and after analysing some key passages of the text that deal with heart fasting (xinzhai 心齋), sitting and forgetting (zuowang 坐忘) and skill mastery, I demonstrate that some interpreters of the Zhuangzi read the text as if it has a metaphysical bent, recommending that sense perception be transcended as a prerequisite to perfection. In contrast, my thesis is that the text does not propose a withdrawal from the senses and from the world, but rather warns about the danger of abiding to doctrinal knowledge, which has the consequence of a person losing their responsive awareness. Indeed, in the Zhuangzi, sense perception is not an impediment on the way to a supersensible reality, but an integral part of one's own being in the world. Through my analysis, I object to the idea that the Zhuangzi proposes a mystical union with something not immediately available, which moreover needs to be achieved by transcending the lived world that is encountered through sense perception. My view is that such a move not only postulates union with a transcendent entity, it also forces a dualism between a person's capacities. This is problematic because the Zhuangzi does not point to another world–in a two worlds theory–where one must ideally attain the condition of a transcendent self. On the contrary, in rejecting a univocal ethos, the text suggests one should keep responding to changing circumstances without turning one's perceptual awareness into entrenched habits. Thus, the Zhuangzi shows how sense perception should be seen, not as a “problem” but as an ethical possibility through which the univocity of doctrinal knowledge can be undermined.

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Zhuangzi

Chong¹

2022

The International Encyclopedia of Ethics

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Zhuangzi (ca. 369–286 bce ), along with Laozi, is a seminal figure in philosophical Daoism. The 33‐chapter text of the Zhuangzi is a result of extensive editing by the fourth‐century commentator Guo Xiang, and it is widely believed that the first seven (“Inner”) chapters were either written by the historical Zhuangzi or best represent his thought. Some central themes can be discerned throughout the text. These are encapsulated in the remark by Xunzi that Zhuangzi was blinded by heaven and did not pay attention to human beings. We analyze this statement to bring out the main features of Zhuangzi's philosophical ethics.

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Zhuangzi’s Cheng Xin and its Implications for Virtue and Perspectives

Cited by 14 publications

References 10 publications

Daoism, Novelty, and Usefulness: A Philosophical Exploration of Creativity

Daoism, Novelty, and Usefulness: A Philosophical Exploration of Creativity

Sense perception in theZhuangzi莊子

Zhuangzi

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