New Article on accepting our fate in the Zhuangzi

I’m pleased to announce that my article, “Two ways of being at peace with our fate and nature in the Zhuangzi” has been accepted for publication in Philosophy East and West later this year. The abstract is below followed by a link to the author’s preprint. Please note that pagination in the published version will differ from the preprint.

Title: “Two Ways of being at peace with our fate and nature in the Zhuangzi“

Abstract: This paper offers an interpretation of anming 安命 or “being at peace with fate” in the Zhuangzi that highlights its heterogeneous understanding and usage throughout the text. To do so, the paper focuses on two main approaches to anming in the Zhuangzi 《莊子》. The first approach emphasizes our relationship with the forces of the cosmos, which have no regard for our values or preferences, and encourages us to clearly understand these forces, to adopt an attitude of peace or serenity towards them, and to obey them willingly. The second approach relies on a normative conception of our individual nature that independently gives us reason to obey our own natural tendencies and respect those of others. Although each approach differs in terms of focus, both offer powerful philosophical resources for being at peace with our fate and nature.