Chuang Tzu's Taoist Philosophy

Chuang Tzu

Chuang Tzu - or Zhuangzi - was a Taoist, whose philosophy differed notably from that of Lao Tzu.  Mostly in the early years of studying and practicing T'ai Chi, I read his writings in the so-called "Inner Chapters."

Zhuangzi and Huizi were strolling along the dam of the Hao Waterfall when Zhuangzi said, "See how the minnows come out and dart around where they please! That's what fish really enjoy!" 

Huizi said, "You're not a fish — how do you know what fish enjoy?" 

Zhuangzi said, "You're not me, so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?" 

Huizi said, "I'm not you, so I certainly don't know what you know. On the other hand, you're certainly not a fish — so that still proves you don't know what fish enjoy!" 

Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to your original question, please. You asked me how I know what fish enjoy — so you already knew I knew it when you asked the question. I know it by standing here beside the Hao."

Those early years were partly my university years as well, and I remember others' philosophy that resembled this sort of logical argument.  In recent years, as I've worked on my Theory of Algorithms and The Core Algorithm, I progressed my thinking on such philosophy:

• Huizi makes a mistake in presupposing that the only way we can know what people or animals enjoy is by being like them.
• Even if we are like them, for example, myself as a man vis-a-vis other men, this point is not a de facto conclusion that I can know what they enjoy.  
• Because we cannot ever be anyone except ourselves, we will always fall short of a complete knowledge of others.  What I've come to call The Inevitable Gap.  
• However, we are endowed with a brain that senses others and with empathy, in particular, which offers us a conduit for indeed knowing what others enjoy.