Zhuang Zi
Zhūang Zi (py), Chuang Tzu (W-G), or Chuang Tse (Chinese: 莊子, literally meaning "Master Zhuang") was a famous philosopher in ancient China who lived around the 4th century BC (Hundred Schools of Thought, Warring States Period). He was from the Town of Meng (蒙城 meng2 cheng2) in the State of Song (宋國 song4 guo2) (now Shangqiu (商邱 shang1 qiu1), Henan). His given name was Zhou (周 zhou1). He is also known as Meng Official (蒙吏 meng2 li4), Meng Zhuang (蒙莊 meng2 zhuang1) and Meng Elder (蒙叟 meng2 sou3).
The Taoist book Zhuang Zi (《莊子》) of the same name is a composite of writings from various sources. The traditional view is that Zhuangzi himself wrote the first several chapters (the "inner" chapters) and his students and related thinkers were responsible for the other parts (the "outer" and "miscellaneous" chapters). Strong proof of direct authorship by Zhuangzi of any of the text is difficult.
One of the book's most famous passages is usually referred to as "Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly" (莊周夢蝶 zhuang1 zhou1 meng4 die2) from the chapter "On Arranging Things" (alternately, "Discussion of Setting Things Right"; 齊物論 qi2 wu4 lun4, the second chapter of the book). The idiom originates from the event that one night, Zhuangzi dreamed that he was a carefree butterfly flying happily. After he woke up, he wondered how he could distinguish being Zhuangzi who had just finished dreaming he was a butterfly and a butterfly who had just started dreaming he was Zhuangzi. It hints at many questions in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of language and epistemology, such as Descartes' famous question of how one knows one exists. The name of the passage has become a common idiom.
In general, Zhuangzi's philosophy is rather antinomian, arguing that our life is limited and things to know are unlimited. To use the limited to pursue the unlimited, he said, was foolish. Our language, cognition, etc. are all biased with our own perspective so we should be hesitant in concluding that our our conclusions are equally right for all things (wanwu). Zhuangzi's thought can also be considered a precursor of multiculturalism and pluralism of systems of value. His pluralism even leads him to doubt the basis of pragmatic arguments (that a course of action preserves our lives) since this presupposes that life is good and death bad. In the fourth section of "The Great Happiness" (至樂 zhi4le4, the 18th chapter of the book), Zhuangzi expresses pity to a skull he sees lying at the side of the road. Zhuangzi laments that the skull is now dead, but the skull retorts, "How do you know it's bad to be dead?" In another example, again from "On Arranging Things," one person points out to another that there is no universal standard of beauty:
- Mao Qiang and Li Ji [two beautiful courtesans] are what people consider beautiful, but if fish see them they will swim into the depths; if birds see them, they will fly away into the air; if deer see them, they will gallop away. Among these four, who knows what is rightly beautiful in the world?
- Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu were strolling along the dam of the Hao River when Chuang Tzu said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!"
- Hui Tzu said, "You're not a fish - how do you know what fish enjoy?"
- Chuang Tzu said, "You're not I, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?"
- Hui Tzu said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish - so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!"
- Chuang Tzu said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy - so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao." (Section XVII Autumn Floods, tr. Burton Watson)