2012. On another nearby track there is only one person working. One reason Why should we be so troubled by an arm that turns into a rooster? The great gourd. Wieger, Lon, trans. Instead, you worried that it was too wide to scoop into anything, which I guess means the mind of our greatly esteemed master here is still clogged up, occupied with its bushes and branches! (Zhuangzi 7-8). Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of Dao Begins in Qing. Philosophy East and West 53.2: 271281. Chai, David. Wang, Rongpei, trans. Ma, L., van Brakel, J. Revisiting the Exchange between Zhuangzi and Huizi on Qing. This frees the mind to see the value of the Daoist way of life. Chinese and Western philosophy in dialogue, Anecdotes and thought experiments in Zhuangzi and Western philosophy. Such is the happiness of fishes. You not being a fish, said Huizi, how can 2015. Zhuangzi on Qing: Lack of Qing, Giving Free Reign to Qing, and Setting Qing at Rest :. Philosophical Researches 4: 5059. <> Virg, Curie. 1913/1983. Being in the forest industry, I know that a crooked tree is not suitable for making standard commodity lumber products, but it can make high quality decorative products which feature its natural beauty and individuality. But more on that when we return to discuss the Equalizing Assessment of Things in chapter two. Leiden: Brill. Roth, Harold D. 1991. If you dont loose yourself, things will bind you. 2011. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cao, Chuji , trans. He is sabotaging the very tools he might have used to explore his unconscious self and discover something useful. Wieger, Lon, trans. Dao 20, 133148 (2021). This is not to say that all thought experiments incorporate all of these things, but a good thought experiment will often touch on several. Les vres de Matre Tchouang. 18In this vein perhaps we could draw an analogy between Zhuangzis work and some works in modern art where its not always clear to the observer what the artist was going for. In Dao Companion to the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi, edited by Kim-chong Chong and Kai-Yuan Cheng. His epigrams and parables praised those who achieved mastery through constant practice of a skill, following their own inclinations, He scorned complicated explanations and theories. stream Van Norden, B., 1996, Competing interpretations of the inner chapters of the Zhuangzi, Philosophy East West, University of Hawaii Press. It is at this juncture which we return to Zhuangzis answer, to Kun skyward transformation into Peng, and to the scoldquails ignorance of Pengs necessity to soar so high for so far a journey. 2007. Ma, Lin, and Jaap van Brakel. This is the necessary humility for one to overcome his arrogance. Beyond the Troubled Water of Shifei: From Disputation to Walking-Two-Roads in the Zhuangzi. On Anger: An Essay on Confucian Moral Psychology. In Returning to Zhu Xi: Emerging Patterns within the Supreme Polarity, edited by David Jones and Jinli He. Price excludes VAT (USA) Whereas the trees in the industrial forest are straight and look alike, the crooked tree grew alone, or with a mixture of other trees of different ages and species. He made fun of ritual, dogma, and pretentious moralizing. Dordrecht: Springer. They were great friends who enjoyed debating and discussing many matters. Changsha: Hunan Renmin Chubanshe. The Drunkards And The Tavern A Poem by Rumi, An illustrated ebook of Vigyan Bhairav Tantra translated by Lakshman Joo. How extraordinary of the maker of things to knot me up like this. Google Scholar. Afterwards, one leaves behind the fantastical elements of the thought experiment and is just left with a proposition about human morality, epistemology, etc. Reding, Jean-Paul. Such thought experiments, if they exist, are probably not considered good (Western) thought experiments. Kjellberg, Paul, trans. The Happiness of Fish A Taoist Tale, Huizi said, Youre not a fish how do you know what fish enjoy?, Zhuangzi said, Youre not me, so how do you know I dont know what fish enjoy?, Huizi said, Im not you, so I certainly dont know what you know. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6, https://www.academia.edu/35172330/Zhuangzis_Doctrine_of_No_Emotions_forthcoming_in_Dao_Companion_to_the_Philosophy_of_the_Zhuangzi_Kim_Chong_Chong_and_Kai_Yuan_Cheng_eds_final_draft, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427, http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuang.html. His language did not hit his target the intent to make sense of things. This suggests that Zhuangzi saw Hui Shi as caught in a paradox. new essays on wine, taste, philosophy and aesthetics, arte, psicologia e realismo. I planted them, 2005. This was in the introduction to my book, The Linguist, A Personal Guide to Language Learning which I wrote a few years ago. 2003. Jackson has actually since changed his position on the thesis of physicalism and he no longer thinks its false. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall when Zhuangzi said, See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! Thats what fish Bradley, Scott P. 2015. Zhuang Zi and the Education of the Emotions. Comparative Philosophy 9.1: 3246. One who has achieved the intellectual flexibility to recognize that a gourd (although normally used as a ladle) can (if big enough) also serve as a boat has also achieved the flexibility to see the value in things at which the many laugh.22. Registered in England & Wales No. This combined with Zhuangzis penchant for irony, the fact that Zhuangzi alludes to fictitious characters and texts, and even takes real figures like Confucius and attributes to the sage things we cant be sure Confucius actually said all of this can make it hard to know what exactly he thinks of the people and things he writes about. Chuangtse . 1981/2001. Well end by analyzing a parablea conversation between logician Huizi and a fictionalize version of Zhuangzi himself: Huizi said to Zhuangzi, The King of Wei gave me the seed of a great gourd. 2000. If you are content with the time and abide by the passing, theres no room for sorrow or joy. China. - 69.163.152.102. Qing (Emotions) in Pre-Buddhist Chinese Thought. In Emotions in Asian Thought: A Dialogue in Comparative Philosophy, edited by Joel Marks and Roger T. Ames. Bradley, Scott P. 2015. What he doesnt realize is that it is his own potential which he is smashing. A logical analysis of the debate on Hao . clandestine change of argumentative issue, Restore content access for purchases made as guest, 48 hours access to article PDF & online version. 1889. Wang, Rongpei, trans. 2007. Zhuangzi is a master storyteller and he uses that talent to teach important moral Nothing has ever beaten Heaven. You can divert the trolley to another track that only has one person on it. Commentary and Subcommentary on the Zhuangzi . The great man rises high into the air, that is, he raises his consciousnesshe becomes aware even of those things which scare and disgust him, even about himself (especially about himself). To smash it into pieces is to say, This thing is just a waste of space and a frustration for me. Zhuangzi does write that Master Chariot is of sound mind. Zhuangzi and the Happy Fish Dialogue. 2015. Zhuangzi. 1When it comes to persuading people to acknowledge a truth or think a certain way, there are many ways that we try to discover and convince each other of the truth. Liu, Qingping. 2004. crits de Matre Wen , . endobj 2003. Sometimes they are also in extraordinary situations, sometimes not. It was big and all, but because it was so useless I finally just smashed it to pieces., Zhuangzi said, You are certainly stupid when it comes to using big things. The Asian master of wit and storytelling is the Daoist, Zhuangzi (sometimes spelled Chuang-Tzu). I will then discuss some of the fictitious anecdotes that appear in the Zhuangzi. The Zhuangzi presentation of Hui Shis views concludes: He had many perspectives and his library would fill five carts but his doctrine was selfcontradictory. Correspondence to Paris: ditions de lencyclopdie des nuisances. 25Because with Zhuangzi its not always clear what is being asked, or what position he is advocating, readers start to wonder about the man behind the stories, entertaining questions such as: What kind of philosopher is Zhuangzi? 1993. . Qin, Xuqing , and Sun Yongchang , trans. Are we just engaging in irresponsible moral epistemology in using hypothetical thought experiments and taking them, at best, as tools of persuasion to belief in a certain claim and, at worst, as grounds of evidence for a position? Cao, Chuji , trans. School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China (Zhe-xue-yuan), Av. 2008. WebHuizi said to Zhuangzi, The king of Wei left me the seeds of a big gourd. I filled it with liquid, but it was not firm enough to lift. If he turns my right arm into a bow, Ill shoot down a dove for roasting. Master Sacrifice went to ask after him. Hansen, Chad. . But Mary has never actually seen anything colored because she lives in a black and white world. In the story, Huizi was talking about this tree to Zhuangzi, the early Daoist philosopher. The Status of Qing in Philosophical Texts of Ancient China. In Expressions of States of Mind in Asia, edited by Paolo Santangelo. Lenehan, Katia. In Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, edited by Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden. % Ironic, then, that our representative of logic, logician Huizi, is not capable of such creativity. but we dont typically look at what other things the philosopher has said or what we know about the person in order to figure out how to interpret a thought experiment. Jinan : Qilu Shushe . Liu, Qingping. Das wahre Buch vom sdlichen Bltenland. 3099067 Our text offers three additional examples: Nie Ques conversation with Wang Ni; Huizi and Zhuangzi about gourds; the story of Cook Ding (sometimes called Butcher Ding); and the story of Wheelwright Pian. The lack of full clarity and explanation is precisely what invites and allows the observer to make something out of the work for herself and thus arguably makes the piece, or whatever is taken from it, more memorable. 2015. 2018. It is vital to note that Huizis acknowledgment that Zhuangzi is not a fish demonstrates some truism in the problem brought about by SR. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Google Scholar. Words are for meaning: when youve got the meaning, you can forget the words.26 Zhuangzis fantastical stories, along with the most beloved Western thought experiments, are devices that philosophers use to communicate a certain message, and in Zhuangzis case it might be a message that goes beyond words. 1891. Zhuangzi, aka Chang Tzu, aka Zhuang Zhao, was a Chinese Taoist master, c. 300 AD. %PDF-1.5 2018. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6. Albany: SUNY Press. Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings. Thats what fish really enjoy!. One thing that does seem clear is that Zhuangzi advances the view that anything one asserts is necessarily from a certain perspective. Change is to be welcomed, and nothing should be held onto too tightly, because change itself is the only constant thing. The specific type of fiction that Western philosophers use is often called a thought experiment. 30Perhaps if only Zhuangzi and others didnt come up with such memorable traps. 2003. Albany: State University of New York Press. Searle, J., 1980, Minds, brains and programs, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, III: 417-457. Uselessness. Each moment, the opportunity to switch between Huizi and Zhuangzi presents itself. WebZhuangzi, or Chuang-tzu, (born c. 369, Meng, Chinadied 286 bce), Most significant early Chinese interpreter of Daoism and the purported author of the Daoist classic that bears One effect of this is encouraging the reader to think outside the box and see things from various perspectives. Perhaps none other than reflection, broadening of the mind, wonder. Now had I used this for holding liquids, it would have been too heavy to lift; and had I cut it in half for ladles, the ladles would have been too flat for such purpose. Perhaps Zhuangzi sees his role as roaming through the world and drawing our attention to the various kinds of creatures and reactions to life they can have, but he himself wants to remain silent on the question of which lives or responses, if any, are best. If he turns my buttocks into wheels and my spirit into a horse, Ill climb aboard. 1957. 1981/2001. Thats what it means to construct for oneself a fictional intellectual opponent with which to spar. 1995. This engenders in him an arrogance which in turn leads him to believe that that which makes sense to him is necessarily correct. Most scholars have understood qing in this exchange as referring to feelings or emotions. We take issue with such readings. 2004. I planted them, and when they grew, the fruit was a yard across. Jackson uses this thought experiment to argue that because Mary gains some knowledge the first time she sees red, she didnt know everything to know about color through knowing all the physical facts about color and so, he says, the thesis of physicalism (i.e., the idea that everything is physical) is false.8. Kjellberg, Paul, trans. Morgan, Jeffrey. The Philosophy of Life: A New Reading of the Zhuangzi. I used them as water containers, but they were so heavy that I couldn't lift them. Does that mean Zhuangzi approves of Master Chariots accepting attitude? Zhuangzi said, The minnows swim about so freely, following the openings wherever they take them. 2010. 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG. Fraser, Chris. Indianapolis: Hackett. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-020-09765-6, https://www.academia.edu/35172330/Zhuangzis_Doctrine_of_No_Emotions_forthcoming_in_Dao_Companion_to_the_Philosophy_of_the_Zhuangzi_Kim_Chong_Chong_and_Kai_Yuan_Cheng_eds_final_draft, https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427, http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuang.html. The debate between Zhuangzi and Huizi has profound epistemological significance, however, the main body of their debate comprises logical inferences and refutations. Van Norden, B., Ivanhoe, P., 2005, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Company. What a habit, to obliterate possibility and potential in the mind out of bitterness and arrogance. 2010. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This is what Jonathan Dancy suggests9. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Emotionless in Confucianism and Daoism: A New Interpretation. Journal of Chinese Philosophy 38.1: 118133. Furthermore, in giving voice to such an odd character, Zhuangzi could be challenging those of us who have a problem with unusual transformations happening to us to have a looser grip on our expectations in life. 2011. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). Learn more about Institutional subscriptions. Wheres the problem? you might be wondering. Zhuangzis and Huizis stroll is described as rambling around, which is you () in Chinese. I cut them into pieces to make ladles, but they were so flat and broad that they wouldn't hold anything. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. How does what he say in other places help us to understand what he might be saying in this passage? This admittedly is a different kind of similarity, one involving the similar, Jackson has actually since changed his position on the thesis of physicalism and he no longer think, Roy Sorensen 1992 has a discussion of several criticisms on the use of thought experiments, stories, This is uncharacteristic of Western thought experiments where the philosopher presents the imagined, One could, for example, think here of Zhuangzis famous butterfly dream that concludes chapter 2 of. On Anger: An Essay on Confucian Moral Psychology. In Returning to Zhu Xi: Emerging Patterns within the Supreme Polarity, edited by David Jones and Jinli He. Even though the lessons are in story form, that doesnt mean that they are easy to decipher. endobj Were There Inner Chapters in the Warring States? I further argue that the central concern of the two philosophical personae in the passage Zhuangzi and Huizi is not with the epistemic standards of human judgements (the established view since Hansen, The Relatively Happy Fish), but with the more basic problem of species-specific perspectives. Fraser, Chris. The point is often to free us from the human perspective. Chuang Tzu. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab. First, we demonstrate that, while Huizi probably understands qing as something like feelings or emotions, Zhuangzis view is that having qing is connected with making shifei judgments whereas having no qing means that shifei has no grip on those ren, especially the shengren. 2003. 4 This admittedly is a different kind of similarity, one involving the similar effect of a thought experiment or story. Wilhelm, Richard, trans. What is there to dislike? Thomson, J., 1985, The Trolley Problem, Yale Law Journal, 94: 1395-1415. Leiden: Brill. Jinan : Qilu Shushe . In comparing the features of Western thought experiments to fables from Zhuangzi, we will see that although Zhuangzis stories would likely fail to be considered good philosophical thought experiments (according to the Western tradition), the very thing that makes them fail is arguably what allows the writings of Zhuangzi to continue to inspire philosophical reflection and dialogue. Change). USefullnes is. New York: Bantam Books. For example, 1) the situations are often highly unrealistic, beyond what normal, real-world counterfactual reasoning would get one to; 2) the characters involved have abilities or disabilities that few if any humans have and sometimes3; and 3) the situations have a way of making a point or a position more memorable than a plainly stated proposition4. Schipper, Kristofer, trans. - 95.111.234.200. My organs are all out of order. Do computers understand things the way humans do? You are able to divert the trolley to the other track (you cant stop the trolley or have it go in between the tracks; at least one person is going to die in this scenario). Cheng, Anne. Huizi and Zhuangzi about gourds; the story of Cook Ding (sometimes called Butcher Ding); and the story of Wheelwright Pian. Huizi believes his knowledge is sufficiently complete as to be capable of using rational deduction to come to only correct answers. 2000. In both, finding the message of the work or the intention of its creator is not necessarily the purpose of the piece as much as is engaging with it and walking away with something even if that something is not an understanding of the actual work but rather a broadening of the mind, an interesting question, or a pleasurable experience. First I will discuss Western thought experiments and a few reasons that have been given for and against using these tools to acquire knowledge. . https://www.academia.edu/35172330/Zhuangzis_Doctrine_of_No_Emotions_forthcoming_in_Dao_Companion_to_the_Philosophy_of_the_Zhuangzi_Kim_Chong_Chong_and_Kai_Yuan_Cheng_eds_final_draft (last accessed on October 12, 2020). Morgan, Jeffrey. Oxford: Oxford University Press. We could leave out the trolley and avoid questions about why it's a runaway trolley and why you can't shout to the people on the tracks (which, if it were a real case, would seem like very reasonable things to do). And if one makes his opponent from steel rather than straw, giving said opposition the most convincing and charitable positions possible, then he might learn something as a product of the conflict between his own preconceived notions and those notions in disagreement. Contrast the greater man with the lesser. ______. Eifring, Halvor. 2016. 1985. 2013. The Writings of Kwang-Tze. 2003. Levi, Jean, trans. (LogOut/ 19To be fair, I should note that Zhuangzi doesnt always leave the reader in the dark as to what a story is about or what he himself thinks of the characters involved. 2003. On my reading, Zhuangzis Emotion in Pre-Qin Ruist Moral Theory: An Explanation of Dao Begins in Qing. Philosophy East and West 53.2: 271281. But in cherry picking some famous thought experiments and anecdotes in the Zhuangzi, I will demonstrate that there are a couple of interesting differences to draw out that I think would apply to many pairings of a Western thought experiment and one of Zhuangzis stories. In Western thought experiments although there often are elements that defy reality as we know it, it is understood that that kind of setup is necessary to bring out certain features of a problem that do correspond to our reality. For example, Robert Nozick imagines a machine that can give a person whatever experiences she desires.16 While in this Experience Machine the person will really feel the pleasure of those experiences and will not know that its all just a simulation. For one, the hypothetical thought experiment involves a situation or type of person that is often simplified and underdescribed, meaning we might not know in the imagined case what the right thing to do is. He presupposes the correctness of his own logic, and when the world shows him that he is incorrect, say through his failure to actualize some potential, he takes this as evidence that the world is incorrect. That is to say, we each contain this same oppositional force within and among us. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. (LogOut/ Middendorf, Ulrike. A snare is for rabbits: when youve got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Emotions and Genuineness in Chinese Native Thinking: A Response to Graham and Hansen ():. Journal of Beijing Youth Politics College 14.1: 4852. The video below (Flight from the Shadow) is an example of the type of teaching he engaged in. Zhang, Mosheng, , trans. Beijing : Zhongguo Huaqiao Chubanshe . Neuchtel: Peter Lang. Zhuangzi. In fact, its hard to think of a thought experiment where the question being asked is not clear. 5Thought experiments have long been used in philosophy as a way to raise questions or pursue knowledge through considering hypothetical situations. Guiyang : Guizhou Renmin Chubanshe . Guiyang : Guizhou Renmin Chubanshe . Hui Shis questions reflect a narrow empiricist epistemic approach while Zhuangzis replies intimate that Hui Shis notion of how one knows is too restrictive (even The Ethics of Responding Properly: The Notion Qing in Early Chinese Thought. In Love and Emotions in Traditional Chinese Literature, edited by Halvor Eifring. Napoli: Universit degli Studie di Napoli LOrientale.. I split them into ladles but they were too big to dip into anything. xX[oH~G?*sTU\KX%v8_sRW7dZ,0w.sil7>?gO:[eU9>~jtYUM^}g{8{' ) ^$p+(p0 $. IYfqrdJG&EYRI-an8p/'eZR;.KZ|veHGd#a:KHiEk]`s#I1IB#P`Hqq ,15#H&Y\' k,Wr/qf3yxA[ab8bi_?%+F&)SYT{jDj pa8C%pF|40:RU[s$.Th.-_V{`rM`&1tLu!P&dp*I$bsr&g0H8{$.XWk@GAuu'vg-:Gy0TjmVjS=;1Wq E|[_0# &1LY[(ehob}kl]X. Monica Link, Anecdotes and thought experiments in Zhuangzi and Western philosophy ,Rivista di estetica, 72|2019, 7-18. I filled them with water but they werent This so-called Trolley Problem was originally introduced by Philippa Foot5, but arguably was made famous by Judith Thomson6, and it is used in many discussions of either utilitarian moral theory or the ethics of killing versus letting die, with regards to certain scenarios in bioethics. Introduction: Emotions and the Conceptual History of Qing . In Love and Emotions in Traditional Chinese Literature, edited by Halvor Eifring. The Asian master of wit and storytelling is the Daoist, Zhuangzi (sometimes spelled Chuang-Tzu). Zhongguancun 59, Haidian District, Beijing, 100872, China, Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte, KU Leuven, Kardinaal Mercierplein 2, 3000, Leuven, Belgium, You can also search for this author in 10While no doubt many thought experiments do function in this way, Dancy is acutely aware that there is something very odd about the idea that we can learn important truths about the way we should behave from an examination of cases which are creatures of our imagination.11 He points out several reasons why we might worry about reasoning from an imaginary case to an actual case. 1 0 obj Beijing : Zhonghua Shuju . 3 0 obj What follows is that the expression wuqing should not be identified as a doctrine of nonemotion. Instead, wuqing implies that Zhuangzi advises us to lead a life of tranquility, calmness, and stillness. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips, Not logged in The video below (Flight from the Shadow) is an example of the type of teaching he engaged in. Puett, Michael J. 2011. Lin, Yutang , trans. It is the acknowledgement of his ignorance which give him a reason to better himselfbecause he knows just how far he is from who he could become. 20Zhuangzi here seems to be criticizing Huizi for not being creative enough, for being limited in his understanding of the varying uses something can have. WebThinking outside of convention vs. Huizi's logic Turn gourds into buoys The value of uselessness The useless tree - because its not useful to the world it can grow and Beijing : Zhonghua Shuju . What is there to dislike?There is no commentary from Zhuangzi himself on this story23, except that he writes of other people who also testify that whatever Heaven does to them, they do and should receive without resisting. Some of these purposes include helping us to: 1)better understand a concept by artificially constructing a scenario that makes certain features more salient 2) think about where we stand on a specific issue 3) consider alternative perspectives in a given situation and 4) see in what way a philosophers many thoughts could be made coherent or reasonable. A Didactic Annotation to the Zhuangzi . 17With Zhuangzi, on the other hand, it is often not clear what exactly the point of a story is nor what position Zhuangzi himself might be criticizing or advancing. Jackson, F., 1986, What Mary didnt know, Journal of Philosophy, 83: 291-295. Sign up to the Wild Isle Mailing List for exclusive previews, updates, and opportunities. But one gained territory while the others never escaped bleaching silk because what they used it for was different. You . 2010. 24Alternatively, perhaps Zhuangzi thinks Master Chariot is crazy, and he is inventing a character who seems accepting of such ridiculous things happening as a way of questioning the sanity of a mind that is so calm and unperturbedMaster Chariot then would be an example of how Daoist passivity can go too far. 2014. Promises and previsions in architecture and philosophy, Nespolo e la filosofia. 2003. Our text offers three additional examples: Nie Ques conversation with Wang Ni; Huizi and Zhuangzi about gourds; the story of Cook Ding (sometimes called Butcher Ding); and the story of Wheelwright Pian. Most scholars have understood qing in this exchange as referring to feelings or emotions. We take issue with such readings. 1920. Feng, Youlan, trans. Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the bridge over the Hao River. Some scholars have suggested that Huizis argument is self-contradictory; however, in fact, based on such evaluations of Huizis argument, we can conclude that Zhuangzis logic is also self-contradictory. There is a runaway trolley that is headed towards five people who are repairing the tracks up ahead. ______. Si, L , trans. Leiden: Brill. Why not lash them together like big buoys and go floating on rivers and lakes instead of worrying that they were too big to dip into anything?21. ______, trans. 27In comparison, Zhuangzis stories arguably fail as good thought experiments because there often isnt a clear question being asked, nor is it always evident what position Zhuangzi is trying to advance, what distinctions or aspects of the story he thinks are important, etc. Many involve imagining human beings as participants. One could, for example, think here of Zhuangzis famous butterfly dream that concludes chapter 2 of the Zhuangzi or of his testimony about his reaction to his wifes death in chapter 18. volume20,pages 133148 (2021)Cite this article. Early Confucian Perspectives on Emotions. In Dao Companion to Classical Confucian Philosophy, edited by Vincent Shen.