Response to Wang Bo's Paper

Abstract

Allow me first to congratulate the speaker for his most interesting talk. His strategy is well taken and convincing: Look at a Zhuangzi chapter that has been largely neglected by philosophers, identify its concerns, and read other Zhuangzi chapters (and other early Masters) through these concerns, rather than as mere variants of Western "philosophy." The concerns of the chapter "The Human World" lie, first of all, with staying alive when giving political advice or being sent on a diplomatic mission. The art of staying alive in such circumstances is identified as shu "techniques," and confirms the political framework in which the writings of Masters originated. But the speaker avoids reducing the Chinese Masters to mere politics—a branch that did not exist separately in China—by stressing the importance of a more fundamental value, namely dao: a "way of life" that can be trained as a firm background for the "art of survival." That way of life entails a calmness, alertness, broad vision, and an open mind. The expression "daoshu," which combines this fundamental attitude with concrete strategies, might be a good candidate to replace the expression "Chinese philosophy." Most of my reflections concern this suggestion in light of the central topic of the whole conference: What is "Chinese philosophy?" I conclude with a question on the chapter "The Human World."