A Contrastive Study of Liberty in Transcendentalism and Taoism from Berlin’s Concept of Liberty Perspective

ZHUANG+Shao-shuang

【Abstract】Liberty is a common wish of all people，a luxury that little has really attained in life.The emphasis will be placed on the philosophical meaning in different values in this essay，and a contrastive research of liberty will be rendered in transcendentalism and Taoism in terms of Berlins two concepts of liberty，namely negative liberty and positive liberty.

【Key words】Positive liberty；Negative liberty；Transcendentalism；Taoism

1 Introduction

According to John Stuart Mill and his book On Liberty，liberty refers to both the freedom to act and the absence of coercion[1].Isaiah Berlin also mentioned that therere two concepts of liberty，that is negative liberty and positive liberty，which respectively connects with the external factors that determine in which way a person shall behave or act， and the internal factors that decide how the person will act[2].

Transcendentalism is a philosophical idea with its core belief as such that individuals intuition is closed related to the empirical experience and nature is the only constraint.The most representative figures include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau[3]. Taoism by contrast focuses on the power of nature and harmony with the universe，which make an overwhelming impact on todays China moral standard and culture[4].

In the famous book of transcendentalism by Henry David Thoreau， Walden，the connotation of liberty is embedded in everyday life of the writer，incorporating individual freedom into his communication with the nature.By contrast，Chuang Tzus Zhuangzi which represents the spirit of Taoism also delineates the authors yearn for liberty which reflects the Chinese way in defending personal freedom.

2 Liberty in transcendentalism and Taoism

2.1 Liberty of the individual

In a positive sense of liberty，individuals liberty lays more emphasis on “I” who is exactly the person that has the right to control or intervene in the actions of the individual.It is now known that China is a low individuality country whereas America is on the other extreme which is evidenced by the reiteration of the word “I” in Walden and other works representing Transcendentalism.The words below quoted from chapter one Economy just show Thoreaus deliberate use of first person：

In most books，the I，or first person，is omitted；in this it will be retained；that，in respect to egotism，is the main difference.（Excerpted from Economy）

Thus as for Thoreau，he appraised the way people sing for themselves because their inner thirsts for individualism.Moreover，another representative figure Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the essay“Self-Reliance”，and put much efforts in shedding light on the importance of “self”.endprint

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion；it is easy in solitude to live after our own；but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. （Excepted from Self-Reliance）

By contrast，Lao Tzu deems liberty as the interdependence with the mass instead of any absolute power or dominance of an individual.

人之所恶，唯孤、寡、不谷，而王公以为称。（Excerpted from Tao Te Ching，Chapter 42）

In Lao Tzus view， the monarchy has to serve his people in their favor but cannot maintain individuality in looking for his own freedom.In this way，the Western liberty is more closely associated with individualism， while the Eastern liberty embodied in Taoism tends to be more collective. 2.2 The liberty to act without coercion

In the negative sense of liberty，according to Berlin，persons actions without the others obstruction can attain a goal of liberty.That is to say， any human beings coercion towards the other will be treated as an act of enslavement.

The external elements that lay influences in peoples liberty belief are generally associated with peoples confinements in the realms of power，wealth or hierarchy.However，to succumb to the control of higher rank will impede the willingness of liberty，hence Chuang Tzu refused to yield to the power and preferred a simple life without any interaction with the higher class.The words below cited from Zhuangzi can show how he avoided any intersection with power.

吾聞楚有神龟，死已三千岁矣，王巾笥而藏之庙堂之上。此龟者，宁其死为留骨而贵乎？宁其生而曳尾于涂中乎？ …往矣！吾将曳尾于涂中。（Excerpted from Autumn Floods）

The citation refers to Chuang Tzus contempt towards those people who flatter the superior and regard the power as their only pursuit. Chuang Tzu led a poverty-stricken life during his entire life since he reckoned liberty as something without hindrance of power or wealth. Similarly，Thoreau also depicted his thought on the hierarchy.

Who made them serfs of the soil？ Why should they eat their sixty acres，when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt？（Excerpted from Economy）

However，Thoreau didnt reckon hierarchy as an ingrained impediment as Chuang Tzu did.He deemed it as peoples desire in accumulating wealth that restricted them from seeking more liberty.It in another sense therefore demonstrates that Thoreau laid more emphasis on the limitation of wealth but Chuang Tzu stressed more on the hierarchy.

3 Conclusion

This paper mainly studies the liberty in transcendentalism and Taoism in terms of positive and negative meanings，and what the consequences will be after their claim of liberty.To be their own master without any intrusion from the others，transcendentalism and Taoism respectively are confronted with the result that they may stray away from the main society，but cannot be completely isolated.

【Reference】

[1]Mill，John S.On Liberty[M].Ontario：Batoche Books，1859.

[2]Berlin，Isaiah.Two Concepts of Liberty[M].London：Oxford，Clarendon Press，1958.

[3]Gura，Philip F.American Transcendentalism：A History[M].New York：Hill and Wang，2007.

[4]You-Sheng Li.The Ancient Chinese Super State of Primary Societies：Taoist Philosophy for the 21st Century[M].2010.

[责任编辑：田吉捷]endprint