The (Non)Active Company of Forces

A Deleuzian Reading of the Affected Agential Self in “Boundless Wandering” in Zhuangzi

Abstract

How do we act when we are defined by the relations that we depend on to flourish? How can we celebrate the nonhuman constitutions that constitute us, but still actively become ourselves and take ethical actions for others? The abundant web of impersonal forces Deleuze theorizes calls for a reconfiguration of agency. This paper explores the agency of selves in the Zhuangzi’s 莊子 “Boundless Wandering” (逍遙遊) chapter in dialogue with Deleuze’s theories of forces in affective relations. I argue for acts of creatively relating to others. These acts constantly redefine our selfhood, enable different ways of enjoying life, and reframe our perspective to include differences. The concept of the “agential self” conceives of who we are through what we are capable of doing. Conversing with Deleuze’s thoughts on forces, activeness, and the will to power, this paper explores how the agential self can be active in affective relation through three sets of characters in “Boundless Wandering”: First, Zhuangzi presents a self that is formally dissolved but affectively connective, elaborated through the description of four types of humans, including Song Rongzi 宋榮子 and Liezi 列子. Secondly, the story of Yao 堯 and Xu You 許由 foregrounds the activeness of a self that embraces its embeddedness in the world of forces. Lastly, the conversation between Zhuangzi and Hui Shi 惠施 shows the power to recreate relations that let diverse lives flourish.