Summary
This book argues that Guo Xiang, a Neo-Taoist thinker, developed a theory of radical freedom where all phenomenal things are "self-so," creating and transforming themselves without needing justification beyond their own being. This philosophy stems from Guo's reinterpretation of the Tao not as a metaphysical absolute but as literal "nothingness" – an absence of anything beyond appearances. The book examines Guo's ideas, their coherence, and their impact on later Chinese philosophy, particularly Chan Buddhism, contrasting his views on freedom versus determinism with Western philosophers like Spinoza and Kant.
The book provides the first English study of Guo Xiang, a commentator on the *Zhuangzi*. It explains his philosophy of freedom and spontaneity, demonstrating its significance and influence. Readers will understand Guo's radical notion of the Tao as absence, which forms the basis of his argument for "self-so" existence and self-transformation, and how this contrasts with Western philosophical positions on determinism.
Key concepts
- Self-so — The principle that phenomenal things create and transform themselves without external reliance.
- Radical freedom — Guo Xiang's philosophical stance that arises from the Tao being literal "nothing."
- Neo-Taoism — A school of Chinese philosophy that reinterpreted classical Taoist texts.
- Guo Xiang — A Neo-Taoist thinker (d. 312 C.E.) and commentator on the *Zhuangzi*.
- Tao as "nothing" — Guo Xiang's reinterpretation of the Tao as an absence of anything beyond appearances, not a metaphysical absolute.
From the book
Description: The Penumbra Unbound is the first English language book-length study of the Neo-Taoist thinker Guo Xiang (d. 312 C.E.), commentator on the classic Taoist text, the Zhuangzi. The author explores Guo's philosophy of freedom and spontaneity, explains its coherence and importance, and shows its influence on later Chinese philosophy, particularly Chan Buddhism. The implications of his thought on freedom versus determinism are also considered in comparison to several positions advanced in the history of Western philosophy, notably those of Spinoza, Kant, Schopenhauer, Fichte, and Hegel. Guo's thought reinterprets the classical pronouncements about the Tao so that it in no way signifies any kind of metaphysical absolute underlying appearances, but rather means literally "nothing."…
Snippet: The Penumbra Unbound is the first English language book-length study of the Neo-Taoist thinker Guo Xiang (d. 312 C.E.), commentator on the classic Taoist text, the Zhuangzi.