Reading the pages of Zhuangzi and De rerum natura, one could easily be struck by the frequency with which the two works address the human fear of death. Obvi- ously, the respective philosophical positions –Taoism and atomism – and the tone in which they are expressed – mysticism for the first and logical and consequential ar- gumentation for the second – couldn’t be more distant. However, even though both authors maintain that the sage should live in a dimension of achieved imperturbabil- ity, nonetheless they show a notable degree of compassion for the human fate. The fear of death is considered extremely harmful to life, because, with its result of ambi- tion, careerism, desire for power and wealth, it contaminates the very essence of the life. Thus, the fear of death is linked to the inability to live. For both works, the cure is not to isolate man, but to contextualize him within the cosmos of which he is a part. It also appears that human life has not always been troubled by such fears, which materialized in a precise historical moment, when at the rise of the first state forma- tions, man lost his way. Then, given that anxiety is not part of human nature, but is the result of induced fears, it is possible to fight it and eliminate it. Seen in this way, Zhuangzi and De rerum natura appear animated by a similar confidence in human- kind’s capacity for improvement. In the light of what has just been said, this study seeks to examine the approach to this problematic in the two works in as much detail as possible. In order to avoid imposition of one text on the other, the theme will be placed within a broader discourse on their respective philosophical positions.
