Tuesday, March 25th, 2014...10:19 pm
Zhuangzi: Daoism
This excerpt focuses on the philosophy of Zhuangzi, or Zhuang Zhou, who lived during fourth century B.C.E. His beliefs were firmly rooted in Daoism, which promotes the attainment of individual harmony or, the Way. Throughout this except we see a great deal of emphasis placed on the one as opposed to the society. We also see how in order to achieve harmony within one’s self; one must consider that there are no absolutes in life. Spanning the duration of this text, we see countless examples of paradoxes that are left without answers. In this way, Zhuang Zhou is extremely skeptical. This differs from the writings of Confucius because Confucius believed in a moral code that an individual should uphold when interacting with a society, family, and so on. While Confucius preached “do onto other as you would have done to you”, Zhuang Zhou’s philosophy was more focused on the individual and finding your natural path or Way.
Discussion Question: “Confucius and Zhuangzi abide by very different philosophies. Confucius focused on an individual’s relationship to a society and believed that we have a duty to do right by our fellow man. Zhuangzi believed that we have we should attain individual harmony through the Dao, or Way. Which philosophical view do you feel is most applicable and practical in our modern-day society? Why?”
Cheng, Patrick Low Kim. “Confucianism Versus Taoism.” (2011): n. pag. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
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