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SmallTaoist philosophy
Taoist philosophy is an integral and basic element of the vast and diverse Chinese civilization alongside mainstream Confucianism andBuddhism. Taoism or the School of Tao refers to a set of philosophical teachings and religious practices rooted in a specific metaphysical understanding of the Chinese character Dao (usually known as Tao).
Taoism has had a deep and long-lasting influence in many domains of Chinese culture, including the arts, literature, medicine, and cuisine. It has spread widely throughout East Asia. Taoism emphasizes freedom, nature, cosmology, self-cultivation, and even the search for immortality.
Being different from that of Confucianism, the social philosophy of Taoism is not aggressive, or positive. Because society is only a process that materializes the Tao, it is not the ultimate purpose of living. From the perspective of Taoism, Confucianism is rational, but it does not boast absolute values, thus a set of measures to build the "ideal society," as in Confucian social philosophy, is not necessary. What Taoists emphasize most is the basic principles to survive in society, which should prove to be effective under any kind of historical conditions. Unlike Confucian social philosophy, the focus is not self-cultivation, but rather the wisdom to respond to various conditions in the society, meeting people's needs for rehabilitation and recuperation.
Taoism provides the theoretic foundation for recuperation policy at the beginning of theHan Dynasty(206BC-220AD). Meanwhile, Taoism also provides a place to retreat for traditional Chinese officials who failed in Confucianism-dominated officialdom. This is still a big area subject area for Chinese scholars to explore, helping to complement Confucianism.
Important philosophers
LaoziLaozi, also known Lao-tzu, is considered the founder of Taoism.Daode Jing, or Tao Te Ching (Classic of the Way and Virtue), written by Laozi, has only 5,000Chinese characters, but covers a wide range of subjects from the metaphysics of Dao (Tao, or the Way), the wisdom of life, cosmology, to ontology. People are supposed to learn the wisdom of life in general, Laozi theorizes, and he brings forward philosophical ideas on politics, sociology, and interpersonal relationships. Yet the focus is not on the creation of civilization, but rather on self-cultivation. Laozi's thoughts are basically social philosophy and theories based on Dao, but he is not interested in creating a new and ideal society, because that is not the way of the Dao.
Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi is the most important theoretical innovator since Laozi. Basically speaking, Taoism has two basic genres based on Laozi's and Zhuangzi's theories. What is most distinctively different about Zhuanzi's philosophy from that of Laozi's is that he elaborates on the relationships between man and nature and the creativity of human beings in terms of intelligence, cognitive ability, and human energy. Based on his understanding of Dao, Zhuangzi also presents his ideas on self-cultivation and how to living successfully in the world.
Liezi
Liezi is a Taoist philosopher from theWarring States Period(475-221BC). The book Liezi was compiled by Zhang Zhan in theEastern Jin Dynasty(317-420). It is generally believed that the book actually reflects the thoughts from the Warring States Period to the Jin Dynasty. Though basically based on original Taoism, Liezi alters the traditional inaction philosophy of Taoism, and emphasizes people's active role between heaven and earth. According to Liezi, the best living conditions for man are when he is free from the control of all kinds of forces without worries or fear of nature.
Wang Bi
Wang Bi is a philosopher during theThree Kingdoms Period(220-280). At the time, the study of Confucian classics came to the end, and society experienced great unrest and chaos. Intellectuals gradually turned to metaphysics. With his deep understanding about Laozi's philosophy, Wang annotated Daode Jing with emphasis on the notion of "nothing." He even annotated The Book of Changes, and approached the Confucian classic in a purely metaphysic way, contributing greatly to the research of The Book of Changes in China.
Guo Xiang
Guo Xiang, a philosopher in theWestern Jin Dynasty(265-316), is known for his annotation to Zhuangzi. He thought that everything in the universe was born accidentally from chaos, and thus held the view that all kinds of life forms, no matter their size, should be respected equally.
Development
It is believed that the origin of Taoism can be traced back to the tradition of remote antiquity, while some also argue that it was first initiated by the officials in charge oftemplerites. However, people who first had Taoist thoughts were not active social and political participants. They observed the world as onlookers, seriously pondering the truth of universe, and using highly abstract language to describe the rules of human nature in society. Their specialty lay in the study about principles.
After Laozi and Zhuangzi built the foundation for Taoist thoughts in the pre-Qin period, the profoundness of Taoism immediately influenced the metaphysical thoughts of Confucianism and Legalism. The political and social influence of Taoism only began during the Han Dynasty after centuries of social unrest when people realized the harm of war and importance of recuperation. At the prime time of theWestern Han Dynastywhen wars began again, the ethos of the time changed and Taoism declined. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, Taoism revived with the prevalence of metaphysical discussions. After that, there was no distinct creation in Taoism theories, but Zhuangzi's ideas inspired Confucianism. Over a long period, Buddhists also applied the Taoist notion of "nothing" to express ideas.
Contributions
Taoism weighs as much as Confucianism in Chinese culture, while Confucianism plays a more obvious role in Chinese politics. The profoundness of Taoism theories provides a headspring for almost all the other Chinese philosophy traditions. Taoism influences in Chinese art, painting, literature, and carving are more important than any other philosophy in China. It is fair to say that traditional Chinese art is the art of Taoism. Meanwhile, Taoism supplies an alternative choice for Chinese intellectuals other than Confucian ideal of actively involving in the society.
