Study On Zhuangzi's Ecological Aesthetic Thoughts

As one of the founders of China's Pre-qin Taoism, Zhuangzi was known as the thinker of the Axial Age named by Jaspers. These thoughts which emerged in the Age contain the factors of almost all afterlife cultures so that they have the long-term benefit for future generations and permanent value. Ancient Chinese farming social reality and the social environment of turbulence and intranquility made Zhuangzi pondered deeply on Man and Nature's relationship. His thoughts demonstrate the total characteristics of "Harmony between Man and Nature" (Everything on the Earth Being of the Same Body) which deposit abundant ecological aesthetics wisdom of classical form. In order to reveal accurately Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts, the whole dissertation includes some parts as follows:The introduction analyzes the topic-choosing reasons, researching method, today's researching level and general plan on the studying of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts. "The topic-choosing reasons" includes realistic reasons and theoretical reasons and show that this research is the need of constructing present ecological civilization and ecological aesthetics view. "Researching method" shows that this article is under the leading of Marxist historical materialism, with contemporary existence philosophy as the guide, and we can get the unity of man and nature, ecology and humanities only by the way of basing on "being and world" of "view of existence". At the same time, it is the bridge of connecting Chinese and western aesthetic research. "Today's researching level" not only generalizes former period research achievement of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts, but also points out the efforts of this article's new try basing on former people's achievement. In the part of "general plan", I mainly explain the necessary for comprehensive research and general writing plan of the article.The first chapter analyzes the backgrounds of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts coming into being. First, the chapter analyzes the cultural backgrounds of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts coming into being. Myth, totem and witchcraft are all still-beingcultural phenomena before the view of "Harmony between Man and Nature"------the all givesout the view of "Everything on the Earth Being of the Same Body", "the Mutual Communication of Heaven and Man", and "the Same Existence". In some degree, these opinions' ecological wisdom had changed Zhuangzi's life style and thinking habits from long ago. Secondly, the chapter analyzes the theoretical backgrounds of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts coming into being. "Yijing", as one of Chinese classic cultural sources, contains rich ecological wisdom as "heaven and man have the same morals". The idea of Laozi who was the founder of Taoism, esp. his "Tao", contains rich ecological wisdom. Thirdly, the chapter analyzes the realistic backgrounds of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts coming into being. Although central China's long-term development and utilization has created a brilliant agricultural civilization, it also had destroyed the region's ecological environment and had caused some thought or wisdom of the effectively using ecological resources. The backgrounds of great change in Chunqiu and Zhanguo period had further stimulated the social ecology crisis, which had prepared a huge real base for the birth of Zhuangzi's ecological wisdom.The second chapter analyzes Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts of "view of tiandao". The view of "Tao is the base of all things" shows that "Tao" is the most basic concept of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts. Zhuangzi had gotten Laozi's view of "Tao's base" and "Tao learns from nature", and had gotten some new development on this base about Tao so that he raised the idea of "Tao exists in everywhere". On the base of Laozi's paying more attention to "Tao's base", Zhuangzi pays more attention to "Tao exists in all things", which focuses on the Tao's overall effect and raises the idea of "all comes from nature". The idea of "Tao exists in everywhere" is an important base of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts. The idea of "Tian is the beginning" shows that "Tian" is another most basic concept of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts. People usually understand it as a subordinate concept of Tao, which has some limitation. Zhuangzi promotes "Tian" to the same level of Tao. Tian's nature is the most prominent feature. "Tian" represents natural things' origin or all tings' ecological nature. But, Zhuangzi's "Tian" has a secret feature, to a large extent,_Tian's origin and secret feature is linked closely. Zhuangzi's idea of "Tian is the beginning", "not man but tian", "man and tian is one" and "not destroying tian for man", etc. all have rich ecological aesthetic thoughts. Zhuangzi's thoughts of "being calm in all time and conditions" is also the showing of "zongtian" idea. The third chapter analyzes Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts of "view of qiwu". Equality and ideal level existing in the "view of qiwu" is the concrete manifestation of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts, which demonstrates that there should be a kind of equal symbiotic harmony between people and the natural world. The "view of qiwu" is the best illustration to "Tao's existing in everywhere", which makes the ecological aesthetic view of "all things, one body" rich and has deep cultural base. This chapter focuses on the influence of Scholars' view of the relationship between people and everything to Zhuangzi, and explains its original meaning of "qi" from the perspective view of this word. Standing on "Tao", Zhuangzi looks on the survival of humanity and all living things and raises a series of ideas full of "ecological equality". The view of "tianjun" and "tianni" contains classical ecological awareness of chain and aesthetic concepts. The view of "wusangwo" and "wuhua" has the meaning of giving up of "egocentricism". The view of "usage of not using" has a value view of being harmony with ecology. The view of "tian and di lives with me, all things unify with me" has the ecological feeling of advocacy of "being equal and symbiotic". The view of "basing on qunsheng" contains the concept of restrict to human activity for other lives' idealistic survival.The forth chapter analyzes Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts of "view of zhongsheng". The view of respecting human and natural lives existing in the "view of zhongsheng" is also a concrete manifestation of Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts. This chapter focuses on Zhuangzi's attention to individual lives. The "view of zhongsheng" mainly embodies as the way of how to realize the level we want by real practice and life training. This is also an ecological aesthetic practice topic. Zhuangzi's "view of zhongsheng" has very rich ecological aesthetic thoughts. Firstly, Zhuangzi pays much attention to "yangsheng". His opinion is that the reason of disharmony exists among people or between people and nature is that people can not look on problems from the view of "Tao". To achieve the purpose of "zhongsheng", Zhuangzi thinks that people must return to the "Tao" of nature by "xinzhai" and "zuowang". Secondly, Zhuangzi pays much attention to "youshi". The reality is that the society full of extreme depression and frustration phenomena, life in that era was fragile and small. On how to exist in the times of trouble, Zhuangzi thinks that we should play games in the "human world". Zhuangzi's "view of youshi" also has the meaning of "xiaoyaoyou" , which focuses more on spiritual transcendence. The "view of youshi" embodies a kind of survival strategy and way. Finally, Zhuangzi pays much attention to "lesheng", which contains a kind of ecological happiness, which primarily reflects in the love and appreciation to natural lives, the optimistic view on the phenomena of being or not being and the longing for ideal ecological community. "Lesheng" is the highest ideal and the practical home of "zhongsheng".The fifth chater will study on Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic view's present value and meaning. This kind of present value and meaning is mainly reflected as enlightment to contemporary people's want for aesthetic existence: Firstly, Zhuangzi had Wisely predicted ecological disaster, which plays a warning role for the birth of people's sense of ecological crisis. Secondly, Zhuangzi's "view of qiwu" can help people get correct ecological awareness of equality and aesthetics; Thirdly, Zhuangzi's "view of zhongsheng" can help people engage in ecological activities and aesthetic existence; Finally, Zhuangzi's "view of Heaven and Tao" can help people maintain moderate respect and reverence to nature, and restrict and weaken people's arbitrary arrogance as conquest to nature.In conclusion, Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts have a certain realistic value and significance for contemporary people's aesthetic existence, but we also should not forget its considerable historical limitations. After all, Zhuangzi's ecological aesthetic thoughts are the product of agricultural civilization, which is very empirical and intuitive. If we want to get its due role, we should get explore the positive side and unify it with contemporary form of ecological theory, which means a modern conversion.