The great synthesizer of Wei-Jin Dark Learning, who completed the ultimate construction of Dark Learning ontology through his Commentary on the Zhuangzi. Following He Yan and Wang Bi's "Doctrine of Valuing Non-Being" and Pei Wei's "Doctrine of Honoring Being," Guo Xiang transcended the Being-Non-Being debate with his "Doctrine of Self-Contained Transformation," proposing the revolutionary thesis that "Non-Being cannot produce Being; Being is self-generated"—all things are neither born from Non-Being nor created by an external master, but each "self-transforms in the realm of profound obscurity," arising abruptly and spontaneously. In political philosophy, he proposed the doctrine of "Innate Lot" (xingfen), holding that every being has its inherent endowment and limits, and that one should "rest content with one's innate lot," fulfilling life within one's given social position. Though his commentary on Zhuangzi was accused of plagiarizing Xiang Xiu's earlier work, Guo Xiang's masterful speculative power transformed Zhuangzi's deconstructive wisdom into a systematic constructive philosophy.
Courtesy name Zixuan, a native of Luoyang, approximately 252–312 CE. A celebrated master of pure conversation in the Western Jin, his erudition was vast and his eloquence inexhaustible. The Jin Shu records that he "had talent and reasoning from youth, loved Laozi and Zhuangzi, and could discourse clearly." The Grand Commandant Wang Yan held Guo Xiang in the highest regard, often saying: "Listening to Xiang speak is like a river pouring from a height, flowing ceaselessly." He served successively as aide to the Minister of Education, Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, and was recruited by Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, as Director of the Grand Tutor's Office, being closely trusted. Whether his Commentary on the Zhuangzi was plagiarized from Xiang Xiu's older commentary is one of the famous cases in intellectual history—the Shishuo Xinyu records that he took Xiang Xiu's commentary and expanded it as his own, though some scholars argue Guo Xiang systematically restructured Xiang's work. Guo Xiang lived on the eve of the Rebellion of the Eight Princes and the Upheaval of the Five Barbarians. His doctrine of "each settling in one's allotted nature" provided a philosophical ground for spiritual settling in a chaotic age, but was also criticized for its conservative tendencies. He died in the Yongjia upheaval, but his thought exerted a sustained and profound influence on later generations.
Ontologically, Guo Xiang's doctrine of "spontaneous self-transformation" (du hua) is the ultimate transcendence of the Wei-Jin Xuanxue debate over being and non-being. "Non-being cannot produce being; being produces itself." He denies both Wang Bi's "Non-being" as the root of all things and any pursuit of an ultimate creator. All things independently "self-transform in the dark mystery," arising and changing autonomously and freely: "Each thing creates itself and depends on nothing else." Cosmologically, he dissolves the infinite regress of causal chains: "For things close at hand, we may know their causes; but tracing back to the ultimate, there is no cause—things are simply so of themselves." At the ultimate level there is no cause; being-so-of-itself is the ultimate. In political philosophy, the doctrine of "allotted nature" (xing fen) is his most controversial theory: "Though the small and the great differ, when placed in the field of self-attainment, each thing fulfills its nature, matches its capacity, and fits its allotment." Whether ruler or minister, noble or base, each who settles in their allotted nature attains freedom. On the relationship between ethical codes and nature, Guo Xiang achieves Xuanxue's most subtle reconciliation: "Though the sage dwells in the court, his mind is no different from being in the mountains and forests." Engaging the world and withdrawing, codes and nature, achieve unity in the sage's spiritual state—this is the ideal personality of "trace and mystery in perfect harmony" (ji ming yuan rong).
"All things, though gathered, collectively constitute heaven, yet each self-transforms in the dark mystery. Non-being cannot produce being; being produces itself. — Commentary on the Zhuangzi, "On Equalizing Things""
Guo Xiang advocates following one's "innate lot" to find peace and fulfillment. Is this a sober life wisdom, or a fatalistic rationalization of existing social hierarchy and inequality?
Guo Xiang uses the doctrine of spontaneous self-transformation to encompass both cosmology and political philosophy; Hegel uses Absolute Spirit to run through logic, nature, and philosophy of spirit. Both, in their respective traditions, complete a systematic philosophical synthesis, explaining the unity of world and life through a holistic framework.
Can a holistic philosophical system genuinely capture the totality of existence? Do the grand systems of Guo Xiang and Hegel represent the peak of philosophy, or its greatest temptation?
Zhuangzi uses "equalizing things" to dissolve all distinctions and achieve absolute freedom; Guo Xiang uses "spontaneous self-transformation" to affirm the independence of each thing and settling in one's allotted nature. Both comment on the Zhuangzi—one pointing toward the freedom of deconstruction, the other toward the acceptance of one's place—reflecting the revolutionary and conservative faces of Daoist thought.
Does Zhuangzi's philosophy point toward radical freedom or quietist acceptance? Is Guo Xiang's reading a betrayal or a legitimate development of Zhuangzi's thought?
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