To a, distinctively Taoist, metaphysical sense. Particular, we will not presuppose that Taoists change the meaning of tao from its usual ethical sense He shares both terminology and background assumptions with the other major philosophical figures. Treat Chuang Tzu as a philosophical discussant dealing with the central philosophical issues in his context. These are at least as stubborn as those in the Chuang Tzu. Story also complicates the interpretive task in requiring settling all the interpretive questions surrounding This is only partly because of the textual issues complicating the traditional story. This article will treat the Chuang Tzu without assuming he 'followed' or inherited Taosimįrom Lao Tzu. Tzu's mouth shared enough with the popular but anonymous text that people subsequently came to identify Lao Tzu's voice because he could 'talk down' to Confucius. Graham speculates that Chuang Tzu may have been responsibleįor Lao Tzu's being regarded as a Taoist by using him as a fictional figure in his dialogues. Plausible that Chuang Tzu was the original Daoist. On the contrary, along with recent archeological discoveries, the text makes it as We know of Chuang Tzu's life only what we can surmise from the text, which hardly confirms Tradition treats Chuang Tzu asįollowing Lao Tzu. The relation between the two founding figures of Taoism is a growing puzzle. See SCHOOL OF CHUANG TZU for a more complete

They often expand on themes in the 'inner' chapters. The others were written either by followers of thinkers of related but different theoretical orientations. Tzu probably authored only parts of the first 7 chapters of the present text, the so-called Inner Chapters.

Practical Implications.Ĭhuang Tzu (Chuang Chou, ca, 360 BC), along with Lao Tzu, is a defining figure in Chinese Taoism. Please send comments, criticisms and suggestions toĬhad Hansen at Tzu (Zhuangzi) Table of Contents Hui Shih's Teaching. Work in progress: Not for citation or reproduction. Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi): A Philosophical Analysis

Way of chuang tzu