Deleuze and Zhuangzi

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to formulate a distinct theory of our engagement with the world. I focus on the self and its relationship to the world in terms of perception and ac­tion, arguing that the self—shaped by our biological and conceptual proclivities—limits both our perception of and engagement with the world. To transcend the self and engage more fully, I highlight the dual role of the world itself: forces whose intensity both affects us and exceeds our established frameworks dismantle the self, and this selflessness, in turn, provides a basis for uncovering and engaging with previously hidden or invisible di­mensions of the world. I characterize this discovery as an aesthetic mode of engagement, in which these dimensions are captured and expressed as manifestations of underlying forces.