On Death: A Possible Dialogue between Zhuangzi and Heidegger

Abstract

Death is one of the core issues in Zhuangzi's philosophy. Heidegger also devotes a special chapter to the discussion of death in the second part of Being and Time. The two great philosophers may differ in their concerns about death itself, their specific approaches to thinking about death, and their explorations of means of self-cultivation, but the aspect of death illustrated by the metaphor "hanging by the heels" may bridge their arguments and open a dialogue between them.