Zhuangzi’s discourse on ‘contented acceptance of fate’ and its relation to catastrophe

Lenehan, Katia

doi:10.1080/00131857.2020.1752184

Cited by 4 publications

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“…Watson, 1968, p.60) In Zhuangzi, destiny is formulated in the form of fatalism as a predetermined course dictated by impersonal, consistent power (Chen, 1997a(Chen, , 1997bZhang, 2002, p.126;Raphals, 2005, p.72), and by heaven as 'a quasipersonified, impartial, natural force' (Schwartz, 1985, p.126;Nylan, 1993, p.35;Fraser, 2011, p.102), as indicated by Examples (8-9). Humans' impotence in the face of destiny is reflected in a wide range, such as appearance, health, family, obligation and social status (Fraser, 2011, p.99), so the ideation of 安命 anming 'resting in destiny' is advocated (Raphals, 2003, p.242;Lenehan, 2020), namely, embracing circumstantial trajectories as immanent, vibrant changes of with equanimity (Barnwell, 2013, p.37).…”

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Taoist Philosophy in Chinese Science Fiction: A Comparison between Zhuangzi and Broken Stars

Wang

2021

LENSA

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Chinese science fiction has been attaining global visibility since Liu Cixin’s trilogy entitled Remembrance of Earth’s Past. The trilogy’s English translator Liu Yukun has edited and rendered a science-fiction anthology that comprises sixteen novellas composed by fourteen Chinese novelists. Apart from a fecundity of imagination and richness of imagery-evoking depictions, narratives compiled in the anthology also epitomise Taoist philosophy conveyed in Zhuangzi, a Warring States (475-221 BC) treatise ascribed to an illustrious philosopher Zhuangzi. Philosophical constructs in the anthology can be exemplified by quintessential construals such as ‘non-action’, ‘resting in destiny’ and ‘self-so’, as well as mindset appertaining to temporal and aesthetic issues.

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Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taoist Philosophy in Chinese Science Fiction: A Comparison between Zhuangzi and Broken Stars

Wang

2021

LENSA

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“…She says that "in the trajectory of destiny that man and things together accomplish according to their respective natures, one, with clarity achieved by self-cultivation, is able to meet all things with ease, harmonizing and following along in the way of letting things be themselves and letting one be oneself without hurting one another. If I have an insight and illumination into the nature of everything, I will surely find spaces among all things, act like a blade playing around in 'plenty of room' as if all restrictions and constraints never ever exist, this is what Zhuangzi's wisdom truly reveals by acceptance of fate" (Lenehan 2020(Lenehan , p. 1395.…”

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Zhuangzi’s Theory on “Fate” and the Humanistic Spirit within

Zhang

2021

Religions

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Conventional accounts of Zhuangzi’s concept of fate are limited to only a certain aspect of it. At the same time, they seem to be mutually contradictory. This essay investigates this concept afresh based on textual analysis and elucidates Zhuangzi’s real concerns about fate. This analysis reveals that Zhuangzi laid stress on the virtue demonstrated in confronting the unavoidable. More specifically, the important meaning of fate encompasses, on the one hand, a whole acceptance of the facts facing us by forgetting oneself, and on the other hand, responding positively to the facts by following the “Heavenly Way” until a spontaneous state is reached. We shall see as well how Zhuangzi’s views on the relation between Heaven and the Human, and on certain moral values, help to validate his theory on fate. Thus, through exploring his underlying thoughts and showing how their various aspects are logically connected, we shall show that Zhuangzi’s concept of fate is imbued with a humanistic spirit in the face of affairs in the real world.

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Forgive, forget or regret? The Dao of education in times of catastrophe

Hung

2020

Educational Philosophy and Theory

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We are living in a time of catastrophes, natural or man-made, such as hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, global warming, extreme weather, wildfire, terrorism, industrial accidents, chemical and nuclear accidents, transportation accidents, war, genocide and plague. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that triggered an outbreak in China in December 2019 and soon became a worldwide pandemic was highly representative. Millions have been locked down in their cities, millions have been infected and hundreds of thousands of people have died. Human beings are always facing unexpected natural or man-made crises and threats, some of which may turn into unavoidable and damaging disasters or catastrophes. Catastrophes cause great psychological or physiological suffering for and damage to survivors and witnesses. How can human beings face and accommodate themselves to such calamities and how should they? There are many different types of disaster that are the result of interactions between natural and social processes. There is no purely natural disaster at the age of Anthropocene. Even the inevitable natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, have social and political features. Decision making about crisis management and reaction affects the extent of the losses that result. In addition to the disasters that are caused by the natural processes of the Earth, manmade disasters, or anthropogenic hazards, are becoming more and more pressing in the technological era. For researchers in any field of education, it is important to make the human factor a mitigator rather than an activator of potential disaster. Therefore, learning from past catastrophes is extremely important. Learning from history helps us to understand our past and then helps us to understand the present and the future. Understanding the past includes learning about the mistakes that human beings have made, which will help us to develop the measures to correct, compensate and do justice in the future. It is necessary to face past wrongs in order to take responsibility. Furthermore, learning about the past is not only about amendments and healing but also about prevention. Overall, memory is of the profoundest importance. The words of Former Secretary General of the United Nations Annan (1999) might give us some direction: 'We must, above all, shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention. Prevention is not only more humane than cure; it is also much cheaper. … Above all, let us not forget that disaster prevention is a moral imperative, no less than reducing the risks of war'. Education for the prevention of disaster and catastrophe relies on the education of memory. Nevertheless, the memory of past catastrophes involves pain and trauma. For victims and survivors, memories may lead to difficulty with recovering. How, then, shall education of memory be implemented? Nietzsche (1983, p. 62) writes: Forgetting is essential to action of any kind, just as not only light but darkness too is essential for the life of everything organi...

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Zhuangzi’s discourse on ‘contented acceptance of fate’ and its relation to catastrophe

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Taoist Philosophy in Chinese Science Fiction: A Comparison between Zhuangzi and Broken Stars

Taoist Philosophy in Chinese Science Fiction: A Comparison between Zhuangzi and Broken Stars

Zhuangzi’s Theory on “Fate” and the Humanistic Spirit within

Forgive, forget or regret? The Dao of education in times of catastrophe

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