A Comparative Study Of Chuang - Tzu 's And

《Comparative Study on Philosophy of Life between Chuang Tzu and the Cynic》 discussed Chuang Tzu and the Cynic.From the fourth to the third century BC, both China and Ancient Greece were in a critical stage of social transformation. At this critical time of social upheaval, there was a famous philosopher Chuang Tzu in China and a remarkable Cynic School in ancient Greece, both showing strong reaction to the society of the day with their unique theory. They took a negative attitude toward secularism, criticized the rationality of the secular system, and ever tried to save and transform their society through getting into the secular world, but finally, they had to step out of the secular world to get rid of the vexations and temptations. The ancient East-West Philosophy shared astonishing similarities, while they varied from each other in ideas and principles because of the different cultural traditions.The first part is to analyze Chuang Tzu’s philosophy of life. Chuang Tzu was critical of the secular society, showing strong hatred against it. In the face of the reality, Chuang Tzu attempted to carve out his cause in the secular world at early stage, but was forced out of the world due to the thought of inaction at later stage. For this reason, he turned to the personal accomplishment that he highlighted. In this process, Chuang Tzu showed his unique thought and principle of social conducts, adhering to the principle of "saintly inside and kingly outside" and pursuing spiritual freedom.The second part is to analyze the philosophy of life of the cynic. The cynic took a completely negative attitude toward the secular world they lived, believing that everything in the secular world needed to be reinvented or abandoned thoroughly. They attacked the politics, but volunteered to rescue the politics with their power at a critical moment. However, they hoped to escape inwardly, desiring a Pera Island of their own. The cynic adhered to their own philosophy of life, laying stress on ideological treasure, the pursuit of spiritual happiness, isolation from the secular people and independence of the secular world.The third part is to make a comparative analysis on philosophy of life between Chuang Tzu and the cynic. Both Chuang Tzu and the cynic were dissatisfied with the secular world, attacking the secular world harshly. However, the cynic took a harsher attitude compared with Chuang Tzu. Both of them tried to save the disgusting society, but switched to their ideal society finally due to the hope for escape. Chuang Tzu adhered to the principle of letting nature take its course, thus pursuing mental freedom. The cynic shared the same expectation, but behaved aggressively:they scarified fortune for poverty, leaving their families. The same historical background determined the similar philosophy of life between Chuang Tzu and the cynic, and different historical traditions pulled out by the different civilizations decided the difference in the philosophies of life between Chuang Tzu and the cynic.