Sublating Anxiety: Heidegger’s Notion of Angst and Xu Fuguan’s Thesis of Youhuan yishi

Abstract

This essay performs a detailed contrastive analysis of two differing concepts of anxiety: Heidegger's Angst and Xu Fuguan’s youhuan yishi, employing the method of transcultural philosophical sublation. This dialectical approach, deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese philosophy of mutual complementarity between opposing ideas, thoughtfully integrates Heidegger's notion of Sorge (care) with the Confucian principle of ren (humaneness) as complementary rather than contradictory elements. This conceptual framework highlights the critical importance of balancing personal authenticity with social responsibility, offering a unified and nuanced perspective on both individual and collective ethics, and proposes innovative strategies to effectively address the complexities of modern life.