Zhuangzi on Friendship and Death
2014
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Zhuangzi on Friendship and Death
Authors
Published Date
2014
Publisher
Type
Article
Preprint
Preprint
Abstract
Zhuangzi suggests that death is a transformation that we commonly and mistakenly think means the end of someone but really just marks a new phase of existence. This metaphysical thesis is presented at several points in the text as an explanation of distinctively Daoist responses to death and loss. Some (such as Wong 2006) take a Daoist response to death, as presented by Zhuangzi, to indicate dual perspectives on friendship and death. But I argue that the metaphysical view sketched above is consistent with a unified perspective, allowing the Daoist to enjoy deep friendships without risking some potential for grief typically associated with strong attachment. However, it leaves the Daoist best suited to friendships with those who endorse the same metaphysics. Furthermore, while the grief associated with the death of a friend is somewhat mitigated, the Daoist has reason to mourn even given this thesis.
Keywords
Description
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
doi:10.1111/sjp.12086
Previously Published Citation
Elder, A. (2014), Zhuangzi on Friendship and Death. Southern Journal of Philosophy, 52: 575-592. doi:10.1111/sjp.12086
Suggested citation
Elder, Alexis M. (2014). Zhuangzi on Friendship and Death. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, doi:10.1111/sjp.12086.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.