ZHUANGZI AND THE SKILLFUL KILLER: THE VIABILITY OF A SCEPTICAL RESPONSE TO THE SKILLFUL KILLER CRITIQUE

Abstract

In the Zhuangzi, one finds a collection of passages that depict skillful exemplars excelling at what they do. It is generally thought that these stories give an account, at least in part, of Zhuangzi's positive ethical vision. In contemporary literature, a criticism, which I will call the skillful killer critique, has been raised against Zhuangzi's account. This thesis aims to clarify the nature of the critique such that it can be better understood as a legitimate problem for Zhuangzi, and the possible replies available to address it. In particular, I explore in more detail the type of response that draws on sceptical resources in the Zhuangzi, assessing the viability of this sceptical response to the critique.