Tao Te Ching - Philosophical counterpart to Analects of Confucius, serving as rival and complement.
The Tao Te Ching is a foundational work of Daoism and a philosophical counterpart to the Analects of Confucius. Together, these two classics constitute the yin and yang of Chinese culture. The Tao Te Ching is a reflective work, while the Analects is more activist. Both consist of pithy lines mixed with longer passages, but the Analects is rooted in concrete historical settings and deals with specific persons and problems.
In contrast, the Tao Te Ching is without apparent historical markers and presents itself as timeless and universal. Scholars have yet to arrive at a consensus regarding the dating or definition of either work beyond the fact that they address central themes of a dramatic period of Chinese history (ca. 500-350 B.C.).
Despite this, the Tao Te Ching is primarily a political treatise. It advocates for an anarchic and ecological sensibility in the operations of human governance, allowing government to become wuwei, free of any coercive activity and free to orchestrate the full talents of its constituent population. Overall, the Tao Te Ching is a valuable addition to any philosophical or historical library.
In contrast, the Tao Te Ching is without apparent historical markers and presents itself as timeless and universal. Scholars have yet to arrive at a consensus regarding the dating or definition of either work beyond the fact that they address central themes of a dramatic period of Chinese history (ca. 500-350 B.C.).
Despite this, the Tao Te Ching is primarily a political treatise. It advocates for an anarchic and ecological sensibility in the operations of human governance, allowing government to become wuwei, free of any coercive activity and free to orchestrate the full talents of its constituent population. Overall, the Tao Te Ching is a valuable addition to any philosophical or historical library.
What's New
Version 3.0: none