Zhuangzi and the Philosophy of Spontaneity

Course outline and syllabus for "Zhuangzi and the Philosophy of Spontaneity", for upper-level undergraduate or early graduate seminar in philosophy, religious studies, or East Asian studies.


Course Title: Zhuangzi and the Philosophy of Spontaneity


Course Description:

This course explores the Zhuangzi, one of the foundational texts of Daoist philosophy, with a focus on the concept of spontaneity (ziran) and its implications for ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and aesthetics. Students will engage in close readings of selected chapters of the Zhuangzi, explore classical commentaries and modern interpretations, and critically analyze the significance of non-doing (wuwei), naturalness, and the playful transformation of self and world. The course situates Zhuangzi within classical Chinese thought and explores its relevance in comparative philosophy.


Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Interpret key passages from the Zhuangzi in translation.
  2. Explain the concept of spontaneity and its philosophical significance in Daoism.
  3. Compare Zhuangzian spontaneity to related ideas in other traditions (e.g., Zen, Stoicism, existentialism).
  4. Critically assess secondary literature and commentaries.
  5. Apply Zhuangzian philosophy to contemporary philosophical and ethical questions.


Course Format:

  • Lecture/Seminar (2 sessions per week, 90 minutes each)
  • Assessment:
    • Participation and Reading Quizzes: 10%
    • Response Papers (3 x 10%): 30%
    • Seminar Presentation: 20%
    • Final Research Paper (10–15 pages): 40%


Required Texts:

  1. Zhuangzi: Basic Writings, trans. Burton Watson (Columbia University Press)
  2. Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, trans. Brook Ziporyn (Hackett Publishing)
  3. Selected secondary sources (PDFs provided or on reserve)


Weekly Topics and Readings:

Week 1: Introduction to Daoism and the Textual Zhuangzi

  • Topics: Overview of Daoism, Zhuang Zhou as historical and legendary figure
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi (Watson): Introduction, Inner Chapters 1–2
    • Ivanhoe, “Zhuangzi on Skepticism, Skill, and Virtuosity”

Week 2: The Butterfly Dream and the Problem of Knowledge

  • Topics: Epistemology, dream skepticism, perspectivism
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 2 “Discussion on Making All Things Equal”
    • Ziporyn: Translator’s Introduction
    • Graham, “The Relativity of Things in Zhuangzi”

Week 3: Spontaneity and Non-Doing (Wuwei)

  • Topics: Ziran (自然), Wuwei (無為), non-intervention
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapters 3–4
    • Slingerland, “Effortless Action in the Zhuangzi”

Week 4: Uselessness and Detachment

  • Topics: Use of the useless, non-conformity
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 4 “In the World of Men”
    • Hansen, “Zhuangzi’s Useless Dao”

Week 5: Language, Names, and Paradox

  • Topics: Limits of language, paradoxical reasoning
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 2 (revisited)
    • Chad Hansen, “Language and Logic in the Zhuangzi”

Week 6: Play, Humor, and Irony

  • Topics: Literary style, indirect teaching
  • Readings:
    • Selected humorous stories (Cook Ding, Robber Zhi, etc.)
    • Ziporyn, “Irony and Religious Thought in the Zhuangzi”

Week 7: The Skill Analogy and Flow States

  • Topics: Cook Ding, artisans, flow psychology
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 3
    • Csikszentmihalyi, Flow (excerpt)

Week 8: Zhuangzi’s Ethics: Virtue Without Rules?

  • Topics: Moral psychology, spontaneity vs moral codes
  • Readings:
    • Yearley, “Zhuangzi’s Ethics”
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 7

Week 9: Death and Transformation

  • Topics: Zhuangzi on death, transformation of things
  • Readings:
    • Zhuangzi Chapter 6 “The Great Ancestral Teacher”
    • Ziporyn commentary on transformation

Week 10: Comparative Perspectives I: Zen Buddhism

  • Topics: Spontaneity in Chan/Zen; influence of Zhuangzi
  • Readings:
    • Selections from the Platform Sutra
    • Abe, “Zhuangzi and Zen”

Week 11: Comparative Perspectives II: Existentialism & Tao

  • Topics: Authenticity, absurdity, being-toward-death
  • Readings:
    • Excerpts from Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Camus
    • Cheng, “Zhuangzi and the Problem of Freedom”

Week 12: Contemporary Applications

  • Topics: Creativity, leadership, environmental ethics
  • Readings:
    • Miller, “Zhuangzi and Ecological Ethics”
    • Puett, “Zhuangzi and Leadership in Uncertain Times”

Week 13: Student Presentations

Week 14: Final Synthesis and Review

  • No new readings; workshopping final papers