Abstract

In recent years, among the studies of pre-Qin dynasty philosophy there has been a drastic increase in the relative weight devoted to the study of the Daoist school. In particular, there has been a revival in the study of the ideas of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. This is represented not only by many investigations and discussions of subjects that had been suspended in the past and of issues on which there had been differences of opinion, but also in proposals for new topics of study and new research methodologies that have followed in the wake of the deepening research. This has enabled the current state of the scholarship on the thought of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi to have greatly exceeded that of our predecessors, whether in terms of breadth or depth. This unprecedented state of affairs is inseparably related to the prosperous development of the entire field of the history of philosophy in our country. At the same time, in the process of deepening this research work, a number of scholarly differences have also been exposed. These long-unresolved divergences of opinion have naturally prompted many scholars to rethink their own methodologies, theories, and paradigms as well as values and criteria. The value of such rethinking for the future of scholarship must not be underestimated