ABSTRACT
Taking inspiration from Plato and Laozi, we situate our dialogue between the two mutually
related poles of being/nothingness in Hegelianism and yin/yang in Daoism, positing that these
help understand how and why systemic change unfolds over time and across space, in theory
and through practice. The dialogue focuses on some of the key divergences regarding contradic-
tion and complementarity, leading to further debate between, on the one hand, harmonising,
Othering, and the possibilities of difference without alienation, and on the other hand, recog-
nition (master/bondsman), relations of difference, and aufhebung (sublation). Despite these
differences, we find a deeply held, shared concern within ‘double transition’ (i.e. Hegelian sub-
lation) and Daoist ‘difference without alienation’ (i.e. yin-within-yang, yang-within-yin).
