Playing cat and dreaming butterfly – Skepticism of Montaigne and Zhuangzi

YANG Chen

Published: April 30, 2022

Many scholars refer to Montaigne and Zhuangzi as “skeptics” because of their opinions on ethics, religion and language. Therefore, a detailed study on their philosophical thinking is conducted in terms of the four branches of modern skepticism: ethical skepticism, linguistic skepticism, epistemological skepticism and sensory skepticism. Then, in order to determine whether Montaigne and Zhuangzi treat skepticism as an instrument or belief, the intentions of their writing are explored. Finally, it raises questions on the legibility of comparative study and cross-cultural study and gives justifications.