Zhuangzi, Freedom, and the Ability to Change Perspectives

Despite its significant influence in East Asian cultures, Daoism’s impact on human rights remains underexplored in scholarly debates. This chapter aims to deepen our understanding of the right to education by drawing from Zhuangzi’s Daoist philosophy of freedom. For Zhuangzi, freedom is not just about the range of choices (negative liberty) or rational decision-making (positive liberty); it concerns maintaining inner peace amid external disruptions. This form of freedom requires the ability to change perspectives, choosing the view that dispels negative emotions like sorrow and resentment. Thus, if the right to education is to empower freedom, it must encompass more than literacy and numeracy, including critical thinking, cultural and diversity education, and experiential learning.