Critical readers can reasonably judge Zhuangzi’s 莊子 notion of wuwei 無爲 to offer a persuasive repl... more Critical readers can reasonably judge Zhuangzi’s 莊子 notion of wuwei 無爲 to offer a persuasive reply to Xunzi’s objection to Zhuangzi’s emphasis on living naturally, in light of recent theories of action. For Zhuangzi, self-cultivation is possible only when individuals attune themselves to the processes inherent in nature (tian 天). Daoist wuwei depends crucially on two descriptive claims that Zhuangzi endorses and Xunzi rejects. The first claim, backed by Dreyfus’ theory of skill acquisition, is that views of self-cultivation which rely on formulas and concepts stand opposed to the Way. The second claim, supported by Elster and Csikszentmihalyi’s theories of action, is that conscious deliberation is unable to facilitate self-cultivation. Zhuangzi’s normative vision requires that individuals indirectly create conditions for spontaneity, rather than pursue spontaneity directly, since any deliberate attempt at being spontaneous is self-defeating.
Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conce... more Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conception of living well. Perspectivism for both thinkers point to the limits of human knowledge, in that both thinkers deny the possibility of attaining knowledge traditionally considered important to living well. Both also endorse a notion of the good life that takes the value of knowledge to be restricted. Nietzschean perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not pertain to human interests. Zhuangist perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not facilitate attainment of the normative Way. I respond to Berry’s therapeutic reading of Nietzsche in order to argue that Nietzsche rejects knowledge that does not speak to human interests. I also draw upon Ivanhoe and Berkson’s reading of Zhuangzi’s epistemology to argue that his perspectivism informs a view of the good life that values intuitive knowledge and its employment of the natural mechanism (tian ji), over ...
Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conce... more Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conception of living well. Perspectivism for both thinkers point to the limits of human knowledge, in that both thinkers deny the possibility of attaining knowledge traditionally considered important to living well. Both also endorse a notion of the good life that takes the value of knowledge to be restricted. Nietzschean perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not pertain to human interests. Zhuangist perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not facilitate attainment of the normative Way. I respond to Berry's therapeutic reading of Nietzsche in order to argue that Nietzsche rejects knowledge that does not speak to human interests. I also draw upon Ivanhoe and Berkson's reading of Zhuangzi's epistemology to argue that his perspectivism informs a view of the good life that values intuitive knowledge and its employment of the natural mechanism (tian ji), over the pursuit of theoretical knowledge, which includes asking grand questions about the workings and origin of the universe. Nietzsche and Zhuangzi (莊子) each offer an analysis on the nature of perspectives in order to answer the epistemological question of how humans know anything. Both thinkers believe perspectives constrain the possibilities of what humans are capable of knowing, and they suggest that the cognitive capacities of humans play an essential role in circumscribing the possibilities for what is knowable. In this sense, each thinker is a skeptic about knowledge concerning the answers to certain questions. The thinkers in this study believe such knowledge is unimportant toward the goal of living well. In their respective views of the good life, they deny the importance of knowledge traditionally considered important to their respective philosophical opponents. The readings of Nietzsche and Zhuangzi presented reveal the epistemological basis which unpins their respective normative commitments to
Critical readers can reasonably judge Zhuangzi’s 莊子 notion of wuwei 無爲 to offer a persuasive repl... more Critical readers can reasonably judge Zhuangzi’s 莊子 notion of wuwei 無爲 to offer a persuasive reply to Xunzi’s objection to Zhuangzi’s emphasis on living naturally, in light of recent theories of action. For Zhuangzi, self-cultivation is possible only when individuals attune themselves to the processes inherent in nature (tian 天). Daoist wuwei depends crucially on two descriptive claims that Zhuangzi endorses and Xunzi rejects. The first claim, backed by Dreyfus’ theory of skill acquisition, is that views of self-cultivation which rely on formulas and concepts stand opposed to the Way. The second claim, supported by Elster and Csikszentmihalyi’s theories of action, is that conscious deliberation is unable to facilitate self-cultivation. Zhuangzi’s normative vision requires that individuals indirectly create conditions for spontaneity, rather than pursue spontaneity directly, since any deliberate attempt at being spontaneous is self-defeating.
Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conce... more Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conception of living well. Perspectivism for both thinkers point to the limits of human knowledge, in that both thinkers deny the possibility of attaining knowledge traditionally considered important to living well. Both also endorse a notion of the good life that takes the value of knowledge to be restricted. Nietzschean perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not pertain to human interests. Zhuangist perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not facilitate attainment of the normative Way. I respond to Berry’s therapeutic reading of Nietzsche in order to argue that Nietzsche rejects knowledge that does not speak to human interests. I also draw upon Ivanhoe and Berkson’s reading of Zhuangzi’s epistemology to argue that his perspectivism informs a view of the good life that values intuitive knowledge and its employment of the natural mechanism (tian ji), over ...
Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conce... more Nietzsche and Zhuangzi offer epistemological views of perspectivism that inform a normative conception of living well. Perspectivism for both thinkers point to the limits of human knowledge, in that both thinkers deny the possibility of attaining knowledge traditionally considered important to living well. Both also endorse a notion of the good life that takes the value of knowledge to be restricted. Nietzschean perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not pertain to human interests. Zhuangist perspectivism devalues the pursuit of knowledge that does not facilitate attainment of the normative Way. I respond to Berry's therapeutic reading of Nietzsche in order to argue that Nietzsche rejects knowledge that does not speak to human interests. I also draw upon Ivanhoe and Berkson's reading of Zhuangzi's epistemology to argue that his perspectivism informs a view of the good life that values intuitive knowledge and its employment of the natural mechanism (tian ji), over the pursuit of theoretical knowledge, which includes asking grand questions about the workings and origin of the universe. Nietzsche and Zhuangzi (莊子) each offer an analysis on the nature of perspectives in order to answer the epistemological question of how humans know anything. Both thinkers believe perspectives constrain the possibilities of what humans are capable of knowing, and they suggest that the cognitive capacities of humans play an essential role in circumscribing the possibilities for what is knowable. In this sense, each thinker is a skeptic about knowledge concerning the answers to certain questions. The thinkers in this study believe such knowledge is unimportant toward the goal of living well. In their respective views of the good life, they deny the importance of knowledge traditionally considered important to their respective philosophical opponents. The readings of Nietzsche and Zhuangzi presented reveal the epistemological basis which unpins their respective normative commitments to
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