장자의 직업사상

Abstract

「Chuang Tzu」 includes various anecdotes on different work and occupation such as the story of a farmer drawing water or the story of a butcher killing a cow. This thesis aims to reconstruct and analyze Chuang Tzu’s philosophy on work and occupation by closely examining these people’s working method and their thoughts on work. The skillful carpenter in 「Chuang Tzu」 makes furniture according to the nature of the tree; and the skillful butcher kills a cow moving his knife on the basis of his knowledge of the natural formation of the cow’s body. This way of working illustrates that the principles of nature is in harmony with human work. The philosophy of Taoism proves not to be in a contradictory relation with science and culture; it is rather a foundation which makes them possible Chuang Tzu finds out that useless big gourd can be used as a big boat, and also acknowledges that a tree that cannot be utilized can make a spacious shadow under which many people can rest. Criticizing the superficiality of people who only acknowledge practical usage and stick to immediate profit, Chuang Tzu warns that they may lose precious lives being easily used by the world. Work has to be considered in the viewpoint of life, Chuan Tzu emphasizes. Chuang Tzu portrays the state where skill is elevated to Tao. The elevated state of Tao is not using skill consciously, but utilizing the skill freely in harmony with the object and using it according to the principles of nature without calculating any consequences. It is desirable that when working, one should think only about the work and concentrate one’s whole self into the work. Only with this voluntary concentration, human alienation from work can be avoided. The work Chuang Tzu demonstrates is not what one has to do enduring pain, but is a pleasurable thing which seems like performing a kind of art or strolling freely through the nature. Finding pleasure in work is doing it like a play. Chuang Tzu shows how work can be synthesized with play. The desirable state of work in Chuang Tzu is ‘affecting nothing’(無爲). Affecting nothing does not signify no action at all, but means skillful concentration which performs the work perfectly while not affecting anything. Those who thoroughly understand the work and the necessary skills for the work do not struggle to work, but complete the work naturally with perfection. This working method might be demonstrating the desirable future of our thoughts on occupation.