Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi

234 Pages·2017·2.248 MB·English

by  Hans-Georg Moeller, Paul J. D'Ambrosio

GENUINE
PRETENDING
c
On the
philosophy
of the
Zhuangzi
Hans-Georg Moeller
& Paul J. D’Ambrosio
G E N U I N E P R E T E N D I N G

H A N S - G E O R G M O E L L E R
& P A U L J . D ’ A M B R O S I O
G E N U I N E P R E T E N D I N G
ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ZHUANGZI
columbia university press New York
columbia university press
Publishers Since 1893
new york chichester, west sussex
cup .columbia .edu
Copyright © 2017 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Moeller, Hans-Georg, 1964– author. | D’Ambrosio, Paul J., author.
Title: Genuine pretending : on the philosophy of the Zhuangzi / Hans-Georg Moeller
and Paul J. D’Ambrosio.
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003660 | ISBN 9780231183987 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9780231183994 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780231545266 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Zhuangzi. Nanhua jing.
Classification: LCC BL1900.C576 M64 2017 | DDC 181/.114—dc23
LC record available at https: //lccn .loc .gov /2017003660
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design: Lisa Hamm
Cover image: Creative Commons
CONTENTS
Foreword by Chen Guying vii
Preface ix
Introduction: A Joker in the Fold 1
1. Sincerity, Authenticity, and Ancient Chinese Philosophy 19
The Dialectic of Sincerity and Confucian Ethics 19
Authenticity, Irony, and Daoism 30
On the Ascription of Authenticity to the Zhuangzi 34
2. The Confucian Regime of Sincerity 41
The Rectification of Names, “Dual Correspondence,” and
Role Model Ethics 41
The Fear of Insincerity and the Moral Ontology of Sincerity 49
Alternative Readings of Confucianism and a Preliminary
Conclusion 53
vi contents
3. Philosophical Humor and Incongruity in the Zhuangzi 59
Toward a Daoist Theory of Humor 60
Parodies and Tricksters in the Zhuangzi 76
The Incongruity of Names and Forms 113
4. Smooth Operators: The Arts of Genuine Pretending 123
From Dissonant to Empty Role Models 124
Zhenren: The Zhenuine Pretender in the Zhuangzi 126
Social Survival 138
Drunk Skills: On Contingent Excellence 151
Where We Come From: On Rambling and the Art of
Philosophizing 164
Sanity and Health: Immune to Afflictions and Conceit 171
Conclusion 181
Notes 189
Bibliography 195
Index 211
FOREWORD
Chen Guying
The Zhuangzi is one of my most beloved texts. It is
an abundantly rich resource for reflecting on nature, the human world, and
spirituality. History has given us many different interpretations of the
Zhuangzi, and yet its philosophy can never be exhaustively explicated. With
today’s convergence of cultures and increasing communication among world
traditions, it is natural that scholars from around the world should come to
esteem this great book of Daoism.
I have known Hans-Georg Moeller for a long time and appreciate his
work on the Laozi. I am delighted to find him working on another Daoist
text. I have come to know his student Paul D’Ambrosio as well, with whom
I have had many pleasurable exchanges on Nietzsche, Zhuangzi, and other
philosophers. Their work on “genuine pretending” is an inspired new take
on the Zhuangzi and engages in comparative philosophy on the highest level.
Scholars today need to be steeped in the philosophy, language, culture, and
history of more than one tradition in order to make significant contributions
viii foreword
in philosophy. Genuine pretending is a perfect example of how cross-cultural
philosophy can develop valuable new perspectives on the history of philoso-
phy, society, and human spirituality. It shows how Zhuangzi’s freedom occurs
at the core of our daily lives, and how it is accessible even in its most mun-
dane aspects.
Truly, Zhuangzi’s writing is characterized by humor. Scholars have often
noted this fact, but few have undertaken serious philosophical investigations
into the implications of it. The reflections on humor developed in this work
bring to light important aspects of Zhuangzi’s teachings.
I am delighted to invite readers to join on this path of reading the Zhuangzi!
PREFACE
In this book, we attempt a reading of Daoist phi-
losophy that departs from more common spiritual or metaphysical frame-
works. We approach the Zhuangzi as a sometimes biting and provocative
sociopolitical critique of its times and reflect on its often comical expression
of a subversive existential mode that allows one to better endure or even to
thrive in adverse circumstances. For us, this text, among other things, advises
against the common human tendency to develop an inflated ego in reaction
to success—or to lose confidence in response to failure. The socially induced
identity one adopts may turn out to be an ominous chimera. For the sake of
maintaining sanity, the Zhuangzi undermines rigid beliefs, judgments, pref-
erences, and dislikes by fostering a humorous attitude toward the world and,
in particular, toward oneself.
When we arrived at the idea for this book, we first imagined it as both a
study of the Zhuangzi and an outline of a New Daoist philosophy.1 Eventually,
we decided to rein in our ambitions and focus on the first goal only, saving