The Zhuangzi on Coping with Society
Stories in the Zhuangzi detailing expert artisans and other extraordinary people are often read as celebrations of “skills” or “knacks.” In this paper, I will argue that they would be more accurately understood as “coping” stories. Taken as a celebration of one’s “skill” or “knack” they transform th...
Auteur principal: | |
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Type de support: | Électronique Article |
Langue: | Anglais |
Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Publié: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2020]
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Dans: |
Journal of religious ethics
Année: 2020, Volume: 48, Numéro: 3, Pages: 474-497 |
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Zhuangzi 365 avant J.-C.-290 avant J.-C.
/ Gesellschaftliche Organisation
/ Intégration sociale
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RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophie de la religion AD Sociologie des religions BM Religions chinoises NCB Éthique individuelle NCC Éthique sociale |
Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Zhuangzi
B genuine pretending B Identity B skill stories B knack stories B Vocation |
Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Résumé: | Stories in the Zhuangzi detailing expert artisans and other extraordinary people are often read as celebrations of “skills” or “knacks.” In this paper, I will argue that they would be more accurately understood as “coping” stories. Taken as a celebration of one’s “skill” or “knack” they transform the Zhuangzi into an implicit advocate of conforming to, or even identifying with, one’s social roles. I will argue that the stories of artisans and extraordinarily skilled people are less about cultivating one’s talents so as to “find one’s calling,” better fulfill social expectations, or achieve oneness with Dao, than they are concerned with developing strategies for coping with natural and social contingencies. Read in this way, there is much to learn from the Zhuangzi when reflecting on contemporary social and political issues, especially those related to meritocratic hubris. |
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ISSN: | 1467-9795 |
Contient: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious ethics
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/jore.12321 |