Psychological Emptiness in theZhuāngzǐ
Asian Philosophy 18 (2):123-147 (2008)
| Abstract | Three views of psychological emptiness, or x?, can be found in the Zhu?ngz?. The instrumental view values x? primarily as a means of efficacious action. The moderate view assigns it intrinsic value as an element of one Zhuangist vision of the good life. The radical view also takes it to be an element of the ideal life, but in this case the form of life advocated is that of the Daoist sage, who transcends mundane human concerns to merge with nature or the Dào. The instrumental and moderate views articulate a relatively commonsensical position, on which the agent continues to pursue at least some characteristically human projects. On the radical view, by contrast, the agent ceases to exercise agency and lives a life hardly recognizable as human. The three views thus signal a tension in Zhuangist ethics, and the unattractiveness of the radical view poses a potential obstacle to the application of Daoist ideas in contemporary ethical discourse. The paper argues that there are principled grounds within Zhuangist thought for detaching the instrumental and moderate views from the radical view and rejecting the latter | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,679 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesCharles Goodman (2008). Bhvaviveka's Arguments for Emptiness. Asian Philosophy 18 (2):167 – 184.
Newman Robert Glass (1995). Working Emptiness: Toward a Third Reading of Emptiness in Buddhism and Postmodern Thought. Scholars Press.
A. C. Grayling (2003). What is Good?: The Search for the Best Way to Live. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Helga Kuhse (1987). The Sanctity-of-Life Doctrine in Medicine: A Critique. Oxford University Press.
Christian Miller (2007). The Structure of Instrumental Practical Reasoning. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 75 (1):1-40.
Christian Miller (2007). The Structure of Instrumental Practical Reasoning. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 75 (1):1–40.
Colette Sciberras (2010). Buddhist Philosophy and the Ideals of Environmentalism. Dissertation, Durham University
Robert McKim (1988). Could God Have More Than One Nature? Faith and Philosophy 5 (4):378-398.
Chris Fraser (2009). Skepticism and Value in the Zhuāngzi. International Philosophical Quarterly 49 (4):439-457.
Chris Fraser (2008). Psychological Emptiness in the Zhuangzi. Asian Philosophy 18 (2):123 – 147.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2010-07-12Total downloads10 ( #106,301 of 549,088 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,317 of 549,088 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
