Heidegger and Zhuangzi on the human: Towards a transcultural critique of (post)humanism

Abstract

In the first part of this chapter I will thus raise doubts by showing that, while Heidegger does point out significant weaknesses in the humanist tradition, he is also suspicious of an anti- or post- humanist reaction to that tradition. His ontological determination of the nonhuman retains anthropocentric assumptions. These commit him to what I will call “crypto- humanism.” Crypto- humanists conceal the anthropocentric premises underlying their philosophy by assigning humans the role of shepherds of, rather than masters over, nonhumans. The second part of this chapter develops a transcultural critique of Heidegger’s crypto- humanism by contrasting it with conceptions of the human– nonhuman relationship in the tradition of philosophical Daoism. This chapter thus contributes to the ongoing attempt to investigate the relationship between Daoist philosophy and Heidegger. However, rather than stressing the parallels and resonances, this chapter intends to uncover significant differences between the two accounts in conceiving of the human–nonhuman relationship.