Can a Daoist Sage Have Close Relationships with Other Human Beings?
Can a Daoist Sage Have Close Relationships with Other Human Beings?

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between the art of creating a close, loving bond and the Daoist art of emptying one’s heart-mind. The fact that a Daoist sage is characterized by an empty heart-mind makes him somewhat different from an average human being: he is withdrawn from certain tendencies characteristic of the human heart-mind, and thus it seems that he may be emotionally detached and unsupportive. The question that I would like to delve into is whether this difference makes the sage unable to have close relationships with other human beings, especially love-based romantic relationships. By performing a close reading of the Zhuangzi, I wish to show that the Daoist detachment from certain tendencies characteristic of a human heart-mind does not imply a detachment from other human beings. In fact, the Daoist sage occurs to be very well suited for the task of being a loving partner.

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