Ethics and Normativity in Zhuangzi: A Commentary on Jung Lee’s Ethics of Attunement

It is controversial whether Zhuangzi proposes a moral theory. This paper evaluates Jung Lee's ethics of attunement based on the reconceptualization of “morality” and the interpretation of the text. It casts doubt on “morality” because of the ambiguity of the normative element being articulated and the failure to reflect Zhuangzi’s core idea of “free and easy”(xiaoyao 逍遙). It also argues against Lee’s interpretation with three textual reasons: First, the butterfly dream story proposes common characteristics of self-transformation instead of an ethical ideal. Second, the model of “attunement” substantializes and absolutizes the Way as the source of value, which conflicts with Zhuangzi’s perspectivism. Third, the Daoist practical identity neither fits the Zhuangzian flexibility of identity nor explains the normative force by attuning to the Way.