{"product_id":"genuine-pretending-on-the-philosophy-of-the-zhuangzi-9780231183994","title":"Genuine Pretending: On the Philosophy of the Zhuangzi","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGenuine Pretending\u003c\/i\u003e is an innovative and comprehensive new reading of the \u003ci\u003eZhuangzi\u003c\/i\u003e that highlights the critical and therapeutic functions of satire and humor. Hans-Georg Moeller and Paul J. D'Ambrosio show how this Daoist classic, contrary to contemporary philosophical readings, distances itself from the pursuit of authenticity and subverts the dominant Confucianism of its time through satirical allegories and ironical reflections. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith humor and parody, the \u003ci\u003eZhuangzi\u003c\/i\u003e exposes the Confucian demand to commit to socially constructed norms as pretense and hypocrisy. The Confucian pursuit of sincerity establishes exemplary models that one is supposed to emulate. In contrast, the \u003ci\u003eZhuangzi\u003c\/i\u003e parodies such venerated representations of wisdom and deconstructs the very notion of sagehood. Instead, it urges a playful, skillful, and unattached engagement with socially mandated duties and obligations. The \u003ci\u003eZhuangzi\u003c\/i\u003e expounds the Daoist art of what Moeller and D'Ambrosio call \"genuine pretending\" the paradoxical skill of not only surviving but thriving by enacting social roles without being tricked into submitting to them or letting them define one's identity. A provocative rereading of a Chinese philosophical classic, \u003ci\u003eGenuine Pretending \u003c\/i\u003ealso suggests the value of a Daoist outlook today as a way of seeking existential sanity in an age of mass media's paradoxical quest for originality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eHans-Georg Moeller is professor of philosophy at the University of Macau. His books include \u003ci\u003eThe Philosophy of the Daodejing\u003c\/i\u003e (2006); \u003ci\u003eThe Moral Fool: A Case for Amorality \u003c\/i\u003e(2009); and \u003ci\u003eThe Radical Luhmann\u003c\/i\u003e (2011), all from Columbia University Press. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePaul J. D'Ambrosio is assistant professor of Chinese philosophy at East China Normal University, where he serves as dean of the Center for Intercultural Research, Teaching, and Translation. He is the coeditor (with Michael Sandel) of \u003ci\u003eEncountering China: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichael Sandel and Chinese Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e (2017).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50318590837010,"sku":"9780231183994","price":40.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7a4381a4-82bf-4d35-8eaf-98205fc5d903.jpg?v=1727558387","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/genuine-pretending-on-the-philosophy-of-the-zhuangzi-9780231183994","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}