Perspectivism and Skill Knowledge in Zhuangzi’s Philosophy

In this article, I explore Zhuangzi’s epistemic perspectivism and its relationship to skillful activity, understood here as a kind of knowledge. I draw upon the work of Chirimuuta and Giere, who have developed versions of epistemic perspectivism that overlap with Zhuangzi’s position. Chirimuuta encourages us to think about representations of scientific knowledge in terms of handling some physical object or moving our way around it, through sensory touch. Scientific models can be likened to hands. Chirimuuta’s scientific perspectivism overlaps with Zhuangzi’s philosophical thought, since knowledge in his skill stories can also be likened to hands, rather than to eyes. In the skill stories, Zhuangzi discusses perspectival knowledge as mediated by what Chirimuuta refers to as interestedness and interaction, two key elements of his perspectivism. I attempt to show how, for Zhuangzi, skill knowledge is based on interestedness and interaction, by appealing to the psychological concept of affordances. I suggest that two of Zhuangzi’s skill stories, one involving a butcher named Cook Ding and another involving a hunchback who catches cicadas, show that perspectivism can be applied to how humans perceive the world, utilize equipment, and employ concepts pursuant to their goals and purposes.