The present paper deals with a specific argumentative feature found in the Laozi, namely, “interlocking parallel style” or IPS. It shows how knowledge of this structure can be helpful for the ...understanding and interpretation of the text. At the same time, the paper demonstrates that, in some cases, rigorously imposing IPS can be counterproductive. To this end, the paper analyses Laozi 29, the commentary to it penned by Wang Bi, as well as a close parallel in the fifth chapter of the Wenzi.
The Motherboard of Myriad Things Wheeler, Billy
Azijske študije (Spletna izd.),
01/2022, Letnik:
10, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
Machines, instruments and tools offer many benefits, but according to the classical Daoists—Laozi and Zhuangzi—they can also interfere with living a life in harmony with nature. Despite this, the ...Zhuangzi offers numerous stories of individuals who use technologies whilst exemplifying the virtues of a sage, although how this is achieved is not well understood. I examine two recent interpretations and argue that they are problematic on both philosophical and interpretative grounds. In their place I offer a new solution based on comparing Zhuangzi with recent studies of the effects of the internet on the way we think.
The “center” is a key concept in early Chinese philosophy. While readings of the Laozi 老子 and Zhuangzi 莊子 often rely on concepts of “nature” and the “natural”, this article proposes the “center” as ...an interpretive key that informs discussion of contemporary issues while remaining faithful to the core concerns of the texts. While both texts use the “center” to promote a philosophy of moderation, in the Laozi, “holding to the center” (shou zhong 守中) refers to a focus on one’s inner center to counteract the dangers of the external, whereas the Zhuangzi speaks of a centeredness between inner cultivation and outward socialization. In the Laozi, we examine images of one-, two- and three-dimensional centers as well as the bodily practice of focusing on the inner stomach rather than the outward-looking eyes. Our discussion of the Zhuangzi focuses on occupying the “center” (zhongyang 中央) between extreme inward and outward modes of being. The result is a philosophy of moderation that fosters a sense of humility, balance, and impartiality, cautioning against a drive for overreaching solutions for all humanity, and tempering attempts to conform to extreme “naturalness” or reject all “artificiality”.
Two long-standing and fiercely debated issues remain central to contemporary studies on Chinese philosophy. The first concerns whether there was an early tradition of metaphysics, and the second ...concerns whether there was an early tradition of Daoism. This study engages with both issues simultaneously, since if there was a tradition of early Chinese metaphysics, then it is identifiable with Huang-Lao Daoism, and if Huang-Lao Daoism constituted an early Chinese tradition, then it is identifiable with the tradition of Chinese metaphysics. This study engages with these issues in two parts. The first part examines Western and Chinese perspectives concerning what is entailed by claims that there was or was not an early tradition of Chinese metaphysics and that there was or was not an early tradition identifiable as Huang-Lao Daoism. The second part is an analysis of contemporary Chinese scholarship that, deeply grounded in the growing collection of early Chinese excavated manuscripts, both affirms the dynamic existence of early Chinese metaphysics and the vibrant existence of an early tradition identifiable with Huang-Lao Daoism. Throughout, this study attempts to concurrently build on the work of contemporary Chinese scholars for reading certain early Chinese writings often held as Daoist, but instead of agreeing with them that Laozi’s Daodejing represents an early blossoming of metaphysics, it argues that his work is grounded in an originally non-metaphysical philosophy of the Dao that Huang-Lao Daoism transformed into a metaphysics, thereby originating the tradition of early Chinese metaphysics.
Lao-Zhuang thought and the Laozi in particular is frequently interpreted as providing a critique of the dominant social values of its time. In English language literature, this often entails ...utilizing thinkers from the Western tradition of philosophic critique from Kant onwards, thereby obscuring the critical methods unique to the text itself. Chinese language literature, on the other hand, rarely uses the semantics of philosophic critique which thereby prevents the text from contributing its own unique voice to the discourse of critique. This paper attempts to put the Laozi into discourse with the wider tradition of philosophic critique, broadening the tradition with a unique “Chinese voice”, but allowing it to speak in its own terms according to the text itself, the commentarial tradition, and modern scholarship.
From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully
illustrated version of the classic work of Daoist
philosophy
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his
editions of the ...Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million
copies in over twenty languages. Here, he works his magic again
with a delightful graphic adaptation of the complete text of
Laozi's Dao De Jing , the beloved source of Daoist
philosophy. Masterfully transforming Laozi's challenging work into
entertaining and enlightening episodes, Tsai offers a uniquely
fresh, relevant, and accessible version of one of the world's most
influential books.
After opening with Laozi's biography from the Shi Ji ,
Tsai turns the stage over to Laozi, who patiently explains his
ideas to his earnest students (and us). Laozi describes the
spontaneity of natural processes, the paradoxical effects of
ethical precepts, the limits of language, the values of simplicity,
and, above all else, how to go with the flow. In brief episodes
that tantalize and inspire, he takes us into the subtle
complexities of human existence. Ultimately, Laozi, a master
visionary, guides us to the mountaintop to reveal an expansive view
of life.
A marvelous edition of a timeless classic, this book also presents
Laozi's original Chinese text in sidebars on each page, enriching
the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting
from the English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully
translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an illuminating
introduction.
Throughout the pages of the Daodejing, Laozi reveals a complex conception of justice. Understanding it demands that we strictly distinguish the four central notions around which it is structured: the ...Constant Dao, the Dao of Humans, the Dao of Heaven, and Heaven and Earth. After situating Laozi’s conception of justice in the opening section, this study then examines the ancient ritual background from which he injected innovative content into these four notions before moving on to a textual analysis of their deployment throughout the Daodejing. In contrast to other modern Western analyses of the text’s philosophy that focus on the naturalism of the Constant Dao while disregarding the theism of the Dao of Heaven, this study attempts to re-envision the text’s complementarity of the religious and the philosophical.
A surprising feature of the White Rose anti-Nazi resistance pamphlets is their appeal to a foundational classical Chinese text, the Laozi (otherwise known as the Daodejing), to buttress their ...critique of fascism and authoritarianism. I argue that from the perspective of a 1942 educated readership, the act of quoting the Laozi functioned as a subtle and pointed nod to anti-fascist intellectuals in pre-war Germany, many of whom had interpreted the Laozi as an anti-authoritarian and pacifist text. To a sympathetic reader, the Laozi therefore constituted an apt reference point for critiquing National Socialism. I then introduce a complication for this wartime reading of the Laozi from the perspective of its ambiguous reception in ancient Chinese political thought. I more specifically discuss an ancient line of interpretation of the Laozi that points in the direction of authoritarianism - in stark tension with the White Rose message of passive resistance and popular revolt.
This article explores the issue of contextualization in translating early Chinese texts. It takes the example of Chapter 1 of the Lǎozǐ, which is analysed sentence by sentence with the focus on ...possible contexts in which the sentences can be read. Three types of contexts are distinguished in the article – immediate textual context, edited context, and discursive context. While the former two types of context (paragraph, chapter, book) are evident and naturally taken into account in any translation, it is stressed in this article that the discursive context is often overlooked or at least not regarded properly. The article argues that discursive context is crucial for translating early Chinese texts in general, and in particular an ambiguous text like the Lǎozǐ.
PDF
