Hiding the World in the World: A Case for Cosmopolitanism Based in the Zhuangzi
Human relations to place cannot be easily or simply characterized. As a species, we have long been both settled and mobile, with some rooted in place and others more migratory. Mobility is not a new feature of human life; however, economic globalization and technologies that facilitate rapid movement from place to place have increased the pressures and opportunities to move. Some argue that greater mobility, in combination with the homogenization of places through the spread of chain stores and multinational corporations, has created a problematic placelessness for many persons and societies. This paper draws on classical Confucianism and the early Daoist thought of Zhuangzi to explore questions of place and mobility in the contemporary world.
