Self-Transcendence, Value, and Power: Emerson and Zhuangzi

Emerson and Zhuangzi each reconstructed virtue to address meaning crises during eras of social transformation, but their metaphysical foundations lead to different aesthetic appreciations: Emerson promotes appreciation of nature as life's best meaning, while Zhuangzi emphasizes harmony between humanity and the Dao, not wilderness. Through intercultural dialogue, the author aims to integrate Emerson's virtue into Zhuangzi's framework, producing an integrated environmental virtue that yields an ecological aesthetic self—a self integrated with nature's value. This new self and value may shape practices in the AI-driven era of transformation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Zhuangzi lived in eras of profound social transformation. They both reconstruct virtue to respond to the meaning crisis in this social transformation. However, for the reason that their metaphysical foundations of virtue differ, there is a significant difference between them. Emerson’s concept of virtue promotes aesthetic appreciation of nature. Emerson regards nature as the best meaning of life. Meanwhile, Zhuangzi’s concept of virtue promotes the aesthetic appreciation of harmony between humanity and the Dao. He does not have Emerson’s sense of aesthetic appreciation of nature, including wilderness. In this paper, I will conduct a comparative study between Emerson and Zhuangzi based on the core categories in research on meaning in life, which are self-transcendence, value, and power. I aim to reconstruct Zhuangzi’s virtue through intercultural dialogue by absorbing Emerson’s virtue. Through this dialogue, we can deepen our understanding of Emerson and Zhuangzi in their efforts in the reconstruction of the self and value through virtue, which gives them enormous spiritual power to cope with the meaning crisis in their lifetimes. The new virtue is an integrated environmental virtue, which will give us a new understanding of the self, value, and power. The new self is an ecological aesthetic self, which is integrated with value in nature. The new self and value have the potential to shape new practices in the era of new transformation, which is generated by AI.