Seeing and hearing in the Laozi and Zhuangzi and the question of authority and authenticity

The present paper investigates the significance of visual and auditory metaphors as used in the main Daoist classics the Laozi and Zhuangzi. While both works disparage the role of the senses, they nonetheless employ a large number of metaphors related to the sense experience. It is the contention of the author that examining these metaphors against the backdrop of the main modern theories dealing with characteristics of vision and hearing is crucial for a better understanding of how the authors of both works envisioned the ideal relation between man and the Way (dao) as well as their views on authority and authenticity.