Abstract

Western environmental philosophers who have turned to Chinese philosophy for inspiration, as well as sinologists concerned with the natural environment, often contend that Daoism can offer valuable environmental insights that may be absent or overlooked in the Western philosophical tradition. However, despite this recognition, broadly speaking, there are two significant limitations in the current academic research on this subject. One issue is the lack of detailed discussion on the nature of Daoist ethics. The other is the narrow focus on only the Laozi (老子) and the Zhuangzi (莊子), with almost no consideration given to the Huainanzi’s (淮南子) potential contribution to environmental discourse. To address these shortcomings, this dissertation aims to establish that Daoist ethics can be understood as a form of environmental virtue ethics, grounded in the Laozi and the Zhuangzi, and supplemented by the Huainanzi. Specifically, the central argument is that the Daoist key concept of wuwei (無為 non-action) can be interpreted as a moral virtue and, furthermore, as an environmental virtue—either as a virtue of environmental stewardship or as a virtue of communion with nature. The ultimate objectives of cultivating wuwei, along with other Daoist environmental virtues—including care (慈 ci), courage (勇 yong), frugality (儉 jian), not-contending (不爭 buzheng), and simplicity (樸 pu)—are to help natural entities return to their state of ziran (自然 self-so-ness) and to assist virtuous individuals in achieving xiaoyaoyou (逍遙遊 carefree wandering) with nature.