Dissertation

Moving beyond identity: reading the Zhuangzi and Levinas as resources for comparative philosophy

In this dissertation I argue that the proto-daoist text the Zhuangzi and the ethical relation of Levinas are fruitful resources to reconsider the self-other relation in comparative philosophy.

Author

Martine Berenpas

Date

06 August 2024

Comparative philosophy is a hermeneutical practice in which the philosopher's assumptions, beliefs and emotional commitments influence and determine the comparative process. I argue that in order to overcome injustice and theoretical colonization of the cultural other, we need to adopt an ethical attiude in which we reside in the pivot and are willing to take the quesiton of social justice into account