In Watson’s depiction, “Zhuangzi’s: Basic Writings” Confucius and the followers of his religion, Confucianism, are depicted as fools in Zhuangzi’s perspective because their views contrast with those of Daoist traditions and customs. Confucius taught and spread the ideas of societal structure, rather than to be in tune with the Tao, and hence focused more so on oneself. Throughout Watson 's depiction, Zhuangzi illustrates Daoist traditions and how they are implemented, along with criticism of Confucius and how he is portrayed in a negative light.
Confucius passed away in the 4th century B.C. Thus, leaving the world with his idealistic thoughts, views, and teachings revolving around individual relationships, virtue of self, and a cultivation …show more content…
Yet, one of the most interesting aspects of the Zhuangzi is that one of its prime characters is in fact, Confucius. Sometimes Confucius is pictured as a buffoon, a haughty embicile despised by characters more in tune with Daoist ideas. At times Confucius acts as a spokesman for Zhuangzi’s point of view, and we are left to wonder whether this is just Zhuangzi’s way of taunting his Confucian intellectual adversaries or whether he did not, in fact, feel that his ideas shared certain features with those of Confucius. Furthermore based on Zhuangzi’s humorous writings style, one can conclude that Confucius is viewed as a fool and not as a wise man by Zhuangzi.
Daoist teachings manifest an emphasis on the purposeless complexities of artificial structures such as government. According to Daoist, no matter how complex we make our structures they will never be fully able to cope with the fluid flexibility of natural changes. This Daoist concept contrasts seemingly to the fundamental Confucian goal of having a structured society. Zhuangzi is blatantly disregarding Confucius, and his teachings, by indirectly stating that no matter the amount of effort one or a group as a whole puts in to having a structured society; it is doomed to fail, given the nature of
Confucius passed away in the 4th century B.C. Thus, leaving the world with his idealistic thoughts, views, and teachings revolving around individual relationships, virtue of self, and a cultivation …show more content…
Yet, one of the most interesting aspects of the Zhuangzi is that one of its prime characters is in fact, Confucius. Sometimes Confucius is pictured as a buffoon, a haughty embicile despised by characters more in tune with Daoist ideas. At times Confucius acts as a spokesman for Zhuangzi’s point of view, and we are left to wonder whether this is just Zhuangzi’s way of taunting his Confucian intellectual adversaries or whether he did not, in fact, feel that his ideas shared certain features with those of Confucius. Furthermore based on Zhuangzi’s humorous writings style, one can conclude that Confucius is viewed as a fool and not as a wise man by Zhuangzi.
Daoist teachings manifest an emphasis on the purposeless complexities of artificial structures such as government. According to Daoist, no matter how complex we make our structures they will never be fully able to cope with the fluid flexibility of natural changes. This Daoist concept contrasts seemingly to the fundamental Confucian goal of having a structured society. Zhuangzi is blatantly disregarding Confucius, and his teachings, by indirectly stating that no matter the amount of effort one or a group as a whole puts in to having a structured society; it is doomed to fail, given the nature of