Abstract
In this paper, we present a socio-political reading of the Zhuangzi based in part on a brief review of contemporary Chinese scholarship on the text. We will argue that the approach to dealing with authority in the Zhuangzi can be summarized by the phrase “externally transforming without transforming internally”. When applied to situations where the individual engages with political or social authority, this idea commends the art of retaining a non-conforming and non-committed internal state while, to an extent, conforming to external circumstances and committing to certain actions. In this way the Zhuangzi not only aims at ensuring safety in potentially dangerous encounters with authority, but also the avoidance of “authenticating” authority. Following the language and logic of the Zhuangzi, the emphasis is on “forgetting (wang 忘)”, “losing (sang 桑)”, and “negating (wu 無)” one’s social self, rather than constructing or discovering an “authentic self” that might ultimately only reify authority. We will refer to the Zhuangzi’s strategy in terms of what we call “genuine pretending”.
Highlights
Interpretations of the political and social perspectives found in the Zhuangzi 莊子 (Book of MasterZhuang) can be separated into those who find the text overtly political and social, and those who argue that it has little to say about politics and society
We have offered some reflections on the somewhat paradoxical attitude towards social and political authority in the Zhuangzi
We have introduced our analysis with a look at contemporary Chinese interpreters of this Daoist text who highlight its mundane and inner-worldly relevance rather than its mystical or metaphysical features
Summary
Interpretations of the political and social perspectives found in the Zhuangzi 莊子 In its comments on themes related to society and politics, political and social authority are often taken to be external forces that remain outside of one’s influence. We will demonstrate that when applied to situations where the individual engages with political or social authority, this idea relates to the art of retaining a relatively unafflicted internal state while simultaneously adapting to external conditions. This is useful for keeping one’s own person safe in potentially dangerous situations. We will refer to this strategy for dealing with authority in the Zhuangzi as a way of “genuine pretending”
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