A Sonogram of the Dark Side of the Dao: The Possibility of Antinatalism in Daoism
Comparative Philosophy An International Journal of Constructive Engagement of Distinct Approaches toward World Philosophy December 30, 2021 Robbert Zandbergen 2 citations
This work compares Daoist philosophy with the antinatalist philosophy of David Benatar, arguing that both offer a radical critique of consciousness as a destructive force in existence. While not claiming equivalence, the author identifies meaningful communication between classical Chinese sources and modern antinatalism. Both perspectives view consciousness as a disruptive element that distances humans from harmony—in Daoism, from the Dao—and both propose a praxis of return to undo this disruption. For Daoism, this return requires transcending ordinary conscious existence, achieved through sagehood. The author shows that the trajectory of sagehood shares key parameters with antinatalism's challenge to human hubris and its aim to reinstate cosmic humility.