《庄子》中的“真宰” : 浅析内篇中的自主意识 = ZHENZAI : AUTONOMY IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF ZHUANG ZI

Abstract

Despite the large amount of studies on the book of Zhuangzi, the concept of autonomy has rarely been explored by scholars. Autonomy is an idea that is generally understood to refer to the capacity to be one's own person, to live one's life according to reasons and motives that are taken as one's own and not the product of manipulative external forces. In the discourse of autonomy, there are two points to note. Firstly, autonomy has traditionally been thought to connote independence and hence reflects assumptions of egoism. Secondly, autonomy is contrasted with metaphysical determinism, which denotes that human behaviour and actions are wholly determined by external factors, and therefore humans do not have genuine free will. In the existing researches, the philosophy of Zhuangzi has been deeply tied to the notion of egoism and metaphysical determinism. Much emphasis has been placed on the theory of individualism and "fate"(命). Feng Youlan described Zhuangzi's philosophy as "individualistic fantasy". According to Feng, Zhuangzi's philosophy is solely built on the interest of the individual and is restricted to ideological concerns. In this sense, Zhuangzi's philosophy does not have any impact on the physical world. Many other scholars held similar views. The theory of "fate" has been commonly interpreted as a form of predetermined destiny, where one is absolutely powerless in determining one's living conditions. This paper aims to rediscover the discourse in the Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi. I will argue that free will and determinism coexist in Zhuangzi’s philosophy, and that Zhuangzi’s philosophy is not disconnected from the physical world. Even though one does not have absolute control over one's living conditions, one is able to determine one's own actions and thoughts ， and this in turn affects the physical world one is living in. These propositions are reflected in the idea of zhenzai (true Lord, 真宰). This paper focuses on three questions. Firstly, what is the subject of rule? Secondly, what is the object ofrule? Lastly, how does one cultivate this sense of control/ruling over one's life? With these I will discover the true meaning of zhenzai, thereby revealing the ideal form of autonomy in the philosophy of Zhuangzi.