Within educational philosophy and theory, there has been an international re-turn to envision study as an alternative formation to disrupt the defining learning logic. As an enrichment, this paper articulates “Daoist onto-un-learning” as an Eastern form of study, drawing upon Roger Ames’s interpretation of the ancient Chinese correlative cosmology and relational personhood thinking. This articulation is to dialogue with the conceptualizations of study shared by Giorgio Agamben, Derek Ford, and Tyson Lewis, and unfolds in three steps. First, I examine (...) how their conceptualizations of study constrain the studier-doing-study logic as a commonsensical expression of “foundational individualism” and anthropocentric disordering. Second, re-invoking the ancient Chinese wisdom, I envision “Daoist onto-un-learning” as a non-individualistic and non-anthropocentric form of study, re-configuring study and learning no longer as two disparate, if not necessarily oppositional, formations but into a Daoist bipolar yin-yang movement. Finally, I story-tell my doctoral research experience as a Daoist onto-un-learning journey, a spiralling learning-study movement, to unpack the ways it suspends and overturns the modern-Western trap/trope of anthropocentric-foundational individualism. In so doing, this paper further internationalizes and supplements the current study scholarship in relation to learning in a way so-far hardly explored yet cross-culturally provocative. (shrink)

Within educational philosophy and theory there has recently been a re-turn to the concept and practices of studying as an alternative or oppositional educational logic to push back against learning as the predominant mode of educational engagement. While promising, we believe that this research on studying has been limited in a few ways. First, while the ontological aspects of studying have been examined in a thorough manner, the affective dimension of studying has not yet been investigated. Second, while a diverse (...) range of theorists have been called upon to articulate studying, the philosophical resources out of which studying has been shaped have remained trapped within the western canon. We seek to address these limitations in this article by turning to some literature on affect theory, Daoist wind-stories, as well as the Yijing–Daoist Yin–Yang movement. In doing so, not only do we make contributions to research on studying, but we also contribute an educational understanding to affect theory and draw out important affinities between affective study and Daoist windstories. In other words, this paper moves to both articulate the affective dimensions of studying and illuminate a particular pedagogy of affect. More important, we move one step further to re-conceptualize learning and study, figuring them not merely as alternative or oppositional orderings, but as a Daoist Yin–Yang movement wherewith learning and studying, analogous to the Yin–Yang elements, always happen together, mutually informing, confronting, and transforming each other. (shrink)

This volume first explores the transformation of Chinese Daoism in late imperial period through the writings of prominent literati scholars of the period. In such a cultural context it then launches an in-depth investigation into the Daoist dimensions of the Chinese narrative masterpiece, The Story of the Stone: the inscriptions of Quanzhen Daoism in the infrastructure of its religious framework, the ideological ramifications of the Daoist concepts of chaos, purity, and the natural, as well as the Daoist (...) images of the gourd, fish, and bird. The author demonstrates in an insightful manner the central position of Daoist philosophy both in the ideological structure of the Stone and the literati culture that spawns it. (shrink)

本文以科学哲思视角，系统分析中国道教各门派的起源、分化、共同点及结构性问题。研究指出，道教诸派虽源流多样，但共享“自然秩序高于人类”的核心思想。然而，历史演化中，道教过度宗教化、人造神结构取代自然智慧 ，导致哲学深度与宇宙认知被遮蔽，修行与社会功能偏离老子“道法自然”的本意。本文提出，道教复位路径应包括去神化、功能回归、科学对话与自然文明对接，使道教成为真正的活的宇宙智慧体系，为现代文明提供哲学与实 践指导。 -/- From a scientific-philosophical perspective, this study systematically analyzes the origins, differentiation, commonalities, and structural issues of Chinese Daoist sects. Although Daoist sects are diverse in lineage, they share the core principle that natural order supersedes human will. Historically, Daoism has become over-religionized, with human-constructed divine structures replacing natural wisdom, obscuring philosophical depth and cosmic cognition, and diverting cultivation and social functions from Laozi’s original Dao Fa Zi Ran. This study proposes that Daoism’s restoration should involve de-theologization, (...) functional realignment, scientific dialogue, and integration with natural civilization, enabling Daoism to become a living system of cosmic wisdom, offering both philosophical and practical guidance for modern civilization. (shrink)

In thirteenth-century China, a Daoist monk named Gao Daokuan (1195-1277) composed a series of illustrated poems and accompanying verse commentary known as the Daoist Horse Taming Pictures. In this annotated translation and study, Louis Komjathy argues that this virtually unknown text offers unique insights into the transformative effects of Daoist contemplative practice. Taming the Wild Horse examines Gao's illustrated poems in terms of monasticism and contemplative practice, as well as the multivalent meaning of the "horse" in traditional (...) Chinese culture and the consequences for both human and nonhuman animals. The Horse Taming Pictures consist of twelve poems, ten of which are equine-centered. They develop the metaphor of a "wild" or "untamed" horse to represent ordinary consciousness, which must be reined in and harnessed through sustained self-cultivation, especially meditation. The compositions describe stages on the Daoist contemplative path. Komjathy provides opportunities for reflection on contemplative practice in general and Daoist meditation in particular, which may lead to a transpersonal way of perceiving and being. (shrink)

Daoist Identity is an exploration of the various means by which Daoists over the centuries have created an identity for themselves. Using modern sociological studies of identity formation as its foundation, it brings together a representative sample of in-depth analyses by eminent American and Japanese scholars in the field. The discussion begins with critical examinations of the ways identity was found among the early movements of the Way of Great Peace and the Celestial Masters. The role of sacred (...) texts and literary culture in Daoist identity formation is discussed. The volume then focuses on lineage formation and the increasing role of popular religious practices, such as spirit-writing, in modern Daoism since the Song dynasty. Finally it discusses the Daoist adaptation and reinterpretation of Buddhist rites, such as the feeding of souls in hell and the use of ritual gestures, and the changes made in contemporary Daoism in relation to traditional rites and popular practices. Contributors: Asano Haruji, Suzanne Cahill, M. Csikszentmihalyi, Edward L. Davis, Terry F. Kleeman, Livia Kohn, Mabuchi Masaya, Maruyama Hiroshi, Mitamura Keiko, Mori Yuria, Peter Nickerson, Charles D. Orzech, Harold D. Roth, Shiga Ichiko, Tsuchiya Masaaki. (shrink)

This article studies a new fantasy subgenre that emerged in contemporary China, xiuzhen xiaoshuo (immortality cultivation fiction), which builds imaginary worlds around the magical practice of Chinese alchemy and fuses it with science and technology. After the arrival of the modern, Western triad of science, religion, and magic/superstition, alchemical practices of the Daoist tradition were labeled as a “superstition” to be eradicated; however, they persisted and began to flourish within and beyond the realm of fantasy literature in the (...) late twentieth and early twenty‐first centuries. Immortality cultivation fiction has generated a magical form of transhumanism, which envisions human enhancement through techniques beyond the boundaries of “proper” science and “legitimate” religion. While transhumanism in the Euro‐American West is popular among white bourgeoisie males and dominated by tendencies to reaffirm the human subject constructed by excluding the various subhuman others, magical transhumanism in Chinese fantasy explores the possibility of transcending that antagonistic relationship and making a posthuman subject and a utopian world. (shrink)

The concept of humility has a long history of paradoxicality. From denoting a lowly social status—to becoming one of the highest Christian virtues—to falling under the critique of the liberators of the Enlightenment—to experiencing an upsurge of philosophical and psychological interest in recent years, the value of acknowledging one's least valued traits remains hard to define and defend. Recent definitions of humility as accurate intra‐ and interpersonal awareness have successfully severed the connection between humility and harmful self‐deprecation; however, in the (...) process, they have sidestepped the question of whether intentional self‐lowering can, for some persons and purposes, be beneficial. Self‐lowering as self‐beneficial is a common theme in ancient Chinese thought. The Daodejing, especially, provides an insightful approach to this practice. When effort, ambition, and desire for social approval are taken too far, they give rise to destructive fixations and thereby become counterproductive. One way to disrupt such fixations is to embrace conditions and personal qualities that we and others perceive to be socially unacceptable and even humiliating. Rather than showing subservience to existing power structures, Daoist humility involves voluntarily doing menial tasks and exposing parts of ourselves that we view as shameful so as, ironically, to loosen the hold of our obsessions, increase our equanimity, and, by extension, reduce social conflict and oppression. I support and expand on this approach via recent scholarship from feminist and antiracist philosophers as well as psychological studies suggesting that cognitive control is limited, and embracing the very compulsions that we usually try to avoid can weaken their power. (shrink)

This article brings recent insights from political animal philosophy and critical animal studies concerning animal subjectivity and multispecies communities into conversation with Daoist philosophy. Daoism is currently underexplored in animal philosophy and multispecies justice theory. This is unfortunate since Daoist ontology and Daoist concepts such as wanwu (萬物) and wuwei (無為) include recognition of nonhuman agency and multispecies entanglements. They offer a fruitful starting point for rethinking the position of the human in the whole of things (...) as well as relations between human and nonhuman animals. (shrink)

A concern central to virtually all full-blooded instances of religious ethics is how persuasively to represent a world central to our fulfillment that far exceeds our normal understanding. The treatment of three kinds of language in an early Daoist text, the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), contains an especially profound discussion and expression of such persuasive presentations in religious ethics. This study examines it and concludes by viewing Dante's Commedia through the perspectives Zhuangzi's ideas and practices present.

There have been very few studies of the Daoist conception of time in either the West or the East. The only explicit study on this topic in the English literature is David Chai’s (2014). Chai maintains that “human measured time” manifested in myriad things in the Daoist universe is merely a mental construction, whereas the authentic time is cosmological time, which consists of neither an A-series (which is ordered by non-reducible pastness, presentness, and futurity) nor a B-series (...) (which is ordered by earlier-than relations) but something without order and directionality. In this paper, I start with Daoist texts (i.e., Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi) about fundamental reality and time. I then explain and analyze Chai’s interpretations of these texts. Lastly, I argue that Chai’s interpretations violate an important Daoist principle. In addition, the idea that human measured time is merely a mental construction is not the best available interpretation of the texts. (shrink)

In recent discussion on comparative ethics, extensive scholarship has been devoted to a comparative study of Confucian ren 仁 (often translated as humaneness or benevolence) and feminist ethics of care, while such cross‐cultural study on the Daoist concept of ci 慈 (customarily translated as compassion) and its intersection with care ethics has been lacking. This paper explores the reasons and concludes that Daoists do care. However, their conception of care goes beyond the Confucian ren and pure care ethics or (...) even counter‐opposes them so as to bring forward the true meaning of care. Daoist care is a powerful tool in our approach to ecology. (shrink)

If Chinese Philosophy is to be viewed as Contemporary Philosophy, we must address the explicit and implicit biases our philosophical colleagues harbor about “legitimate” philosophy. An apt analogy involves the challenge posed to the European taxonomy of species by the “discovery” of the platypus. Now recognized as a distinct species of mammal (monotreme), the platypus was initially denounced as a hoax, then grudgingly accepted as a “primitive” evolutionary dead end. Using Daoist philosophy as an example, this essay offers a (...) pedagogical strategy for shifting from the Fixed Mind’s adulation of “the [Western] Canon” to the Growth Mind receptive to Daoism’s philosophical resources. (shrink)

Daoist meditation has been less widely adopted than Buddhist meditation as a daily method for psychological regulation, partly due to the complexity of its underlying philosophical system. This study aims to explore how key Daoist meditation practices can be psychologized and adapted into a usable method for modern psychological training. A comparative analysis was conducted on classical Daoist meditation methods, including Sitting in Oblivion, Mind Fasting, Ingestion of Qi, Visualization and Imagination, Inner Observation, and Internal Alchemy. Based (...) on this analysis, a novel psychological training method called “Merging Oblivion Meditation” was developed by integrating elements of Inner Observation and Sitting in Oblivion. Among the practices analyzed, Inner Observation—which involves merging with the cosmic landscape—was found to be more adaptable for psychological application. The proposed “Merging Oblivion Meditation” employs guided imagination to reduce the sense of self by fostering an experiential merging with cosmic landscapes, thus facilitating nondual awareness without requiring apophatic operations. This method simplifies the difficulty of traditional Sitting in Oblivion and increases its feasibility as a psychological technique. Rooted in the Daoist vision of the body as an immortal cosmos, Merging Oblivion Meditation differs from Buddhist-derived practices in both process and psychological effects. By dissolving bodily boundaries and encouraging experiential unity with the Dao, it may engage distinct mechanisms conducive to nondual experiences, offering a unique contribution to contemplative science and meditation-based interventions. (shrink)

ABSTRACTDaoism, especially classical Daoism, is often constructed as a ‘philosophy,’ ‘set of ideas,’ or ‘system of thought.’ This is particularly the case in studies of Chinese philosophy and comparative philosophy. The present article draws attention to the central importance of clarity and stillness as a Daoist form of meditative practice, contemplative experience, and way of being. Examining historical precedents in classical Daoism, the article gives particular attention to the Tang dynasty ‘Clarity-and-Stillness Literature,’ specifically the eighth-century Qingjing jing 清靜經. (...) In the process, one finds that qingjing is one of the major connective strands throughout the Daoist tradition, a connective strand that reveals the central importance of embodied, experiential, and applied dimensions of human being from a Daoist perspective. (shrink)

Steve Coutinho explores in detail the fundamental concepts of Daoist thought as represented in three early texts: the _Laozi_, the _Zhuangzi_, and the _Liezi_. Readers interested in philosophy yet unfamiliar with Daoism will gain a comprehensive understanding of these works from this analysis, and readers fascinated by ancient China who also wish to grasp its philosophical foundations will appreciate the clarity and depth of Coutinho's explanations. Coutinho writes a volume for all readers, whether or not they have a background (...) in philosophy or Chinese studies. A work of comparative philosophy, this volume also integrates the concepts and methods of contemporary philosophical discourse into a discussion of early Chinese thought. The resulting dialogue relates ancient Chinese thought to contemporary philosophical issues and uses modern Western ideas and approaches to throw new interpretive light on classical texts. Rather than function as historical curiosities, these works act as living philosophies in conversation with contemporary thought and experience. Coutinho respects the multiplicity of Daoist philosophies while also revealing a distinctive philosophical sensibility, and he provides clear explanations of these complex texts without resorting to oversimplification. (shrink)

Daoist practice connects adepts to Dao; it comes in two forms, self-cultivation and ritual. Self-cultivation centers on the concept of cosmic or vital energy (qi) and works through healing, longevity, and immortality. Besides techniques of nourishing life, such as diet, sexual hygiene, and exercise, self-cultivation involves breath work and various forms of meditation. Through these methods, Daoists align with Dao in the natural patterns of life and merge with it to people of spirit.Ritual works through a galactic level of (...) existence that is part of pure Dao but not ineffable or formless, a celestial dimension that houses an extensive otherworldly bureaucracy managing human affairs. It modifies the actions of supernatural administrators by placing priests into their midst and empowering them as celestial bureaucrats to exert control over time, space, and life. Sacred texts are the manuals and passports to this empowerment, recited on a regular basis and transmitted in formal ordination ceremonies.The Daodejing plays a role in both these dimensions. Rather than a philosophical text, in the religious Daoist vision it a core scripture stored in the heavens, created by pure Dao. Its meditative recitation thus conveys cosmic energy and spiritual advancement and supernatural powers. Accompanied by purifications and visualizations, this is a key practice both in cultivation and ritual as a fundamental way of aligning oneself with Dao.This alignment is further formalized in Daoist ordination, where the Daodejing is studied and activated at the basic rank of all major systems developed over the millennia. Last but not least, many Daodejing concepts play a role in personal transformation, beginning with ideals of no-desire, simplicity, and frugality and moving on to methods of concentration and mental focus. Advanced meditation practices reverse ordinary development and aid the recovery of Dao in oblivion and through alchemical refinement. (shrink)

This is the first work available in English which addresses Zhuangzi’s thought as a whole. It presents an interpretation of the Zhuangzi, a book in thirty-three chapters that is the most important collection of Daoist texts in early China. The author introduces a complex reading that shows the unity of Zhuangzi’s thought, in particular in his views of action, language, and ethics. By addressing methodological questions that arise in reading Zhuangzi, a hermeneutics is developed which makes understanding Zhuangzi’s religious (...) thought possible. A theoretical contribution to comparative philosophy and the cross-cultural study of religious traditions, the book serves as an introduction to Daoism for graduate students in religion, philosophy, and East Asian Studies. (shrink)

Preface: Rebooting the Natural Protocol on the Ruins of Artificial Order -/- For a long time, the study of Chinese intellectual history has been monopolized by a mediocre narrative known as “Confucian–Daoist complementarity.” Within the interpretive frameworks of scholars such as Li Zehou and Chen Guying, the thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi has been trimmed, grafted, and ultimately confined within a humanistic enclosure constructed by Confucianism. This narrative disguises an irreconcilable conflict of underlying logics as a gentle cultural harmony. (...) It tells the world: Confucianism is the skeleton of society, while Daoism is a refuge for the soul; Confucianism governs reality, while Daoism consoles frustration. -/- However, when examined from the perspective of systems science and physical evolution, this so-called “complementarity” is essentially a profound act of academic dimensional reduction and power domestication. It demotes the “Dao,” which functions as the highest control protocol of the universe, into an aesthetic bonsai on the scholar’s desk and a psychological analgesic under the pressure of power. This narrative dissolves the disruptive force within Daoist thought—the force capable of breaking through artificial order and reaching the underlying logic of the cosmos—causing Chinese civilization, over two millennia of evolution, to lose a critical safety valve that could have interrupted the violence of hetero-organized systems. -/- Logical Judgment: The Dimensional Misreading of Li Zehou and Chen Guying -/- The primary task of this work is to conduct a logical judgment on this half-century-long academic illusion. Li Zehou’s “structure of emotion and reason” and his “sedimentation theory” attempt to reduce high-dimensional physical necessity into low-dimensional humanistic sentiment. In his framework, the “Heavenly Dao protocol” is aestheticized and stripped of its power to negate the legitimacy of real-world political systems. This so-called “complementarity” effectively provides Confucianism—with its high-entropy, interventionist system—a protective coating labeled “transcendence,” thereby constructing a rigid and evolution-resistant super-stable structure. -/- As for Chen Guying, although his contributions to textual scholarship are undeniable, his philosophical interpretation falls into another kind of “managerial trap.” By attempting to extract “humanistic concern” and “democratic seeds” from Laozi, he essentially performs a second castration of Daoist thought from a Confucianized modern political perspective. He fails to grasp the profound self-organizing logic underlying Laozi’s wu wei, instead interpreting it as an administratively infused moral stance. This reading neutralizes Laozi’s austerity as a revealer of cosmic law, reducing him to a mild political consultant imprisoned within Confucian thought. -/- Scientific Reconstruction: A Hard-Core Decoding via Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology -/- To dismantle this logical trap, one must transcend the textual games of the humanities and return to the physical reality of the universe. This work introduces the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, aiming to systematically decode the intuitive wisdom of the Dao De Jing through the rigorous logic of Natural Cybernetics and modern astronomy. -/- This cosmology reveals the vertical structure of cosmic energy flow and control chains through a concise sequence: • The Evolutionary Gradient of “Following Nature”: “Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows Nature.” This is not rhetorical parallelism, but a precise articulation of nested hierarchical dependence: Earth dynamics subordinate to the solar system, the solar system to the galaxy (Dao), and the galaxy to the universal self-organizing principle (Nature). • The Physical Closed Loop of “Generating All Things”: “Dao generates One, One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates all things.” This describes a physical generative chain: from galactic matter (Dao), to stellar systems (One), to planetary systems (Two), and finally to life systems emerging from the dynamic interaction of the Sun–Earth–Moon triad (Three). -/- Within this framework, the “Dao” is no longer an ambiguous philosophical term, but the highest directive governing negentropic evolution in the universe. It demands that human civilization function as a submodule of the cosmic protocol, unconditionally obeying the physical laws of Earth, Heaven, and Dao, rather than constructing artificial ethical systems that defy natural processes. -/- Natural Civilization: The Inevitable Destination Under Natural Cybernetics -/- When the Lao–Yang cosmology is applied to civilizational design, a new paradigm—Natural Civilization—emerges. Unlike the Confucian model of “hetero-organized civilization,” which relies on strong intervention and generates systemic entropy, natural civilization advocates governance based on self-organization and natural protocols. -/- The essence of Confucian logic is system overfitting. It attempts to compress complex social systems into simplified, linear power structures through elaborate rituals, hierarchies, and administrative interventions (keji fuli). While this creates a temporary illusion of order, it inevitably leads to civilizational collapse due to high energy dissipation and accumulated systemic fragility. -/- In contrast, natural civilization calls for a reboot of the natural protocol. It anchors governance in feedback mechanisms derived from natural cybernetics: respecting individual life sovereignty (valuing one’s body as the world), adopting distributed and decentralized modular systems (small states with few people), and restoring the absolute veto power of the “Heavenly Dao” over all artificial authority. -/- Conclusion: Returning to the Flow of the Great Dao -/- The Scientific Judgment of “Confucian–Daoist Complementarity” is not merely a critique of Li Zehou and Chen Guying; it is a juridical indictment concerning the survival rights of civilization itself. What stands accused is an artificial order that is anthropocentric, power-driven, and sustained through the sacrifice of life as its fundamental cost. -/- We declare: the so-called “Confucian–Daoist complementarity” has completely collapsed. Between the entropy-increasing logic of power monopolization (Confucianism) and the negentropic protocol of systemic sustainability (Daoism), there exists no mediocre middle ground. -/- Only by dismantling these artificially constructed academic disguises, and exposing human civilization once again to the cold, objective, and magnificent truth of the natural cosmos, can we hope—before the thermodynamic heat death of modernity—to make a decisive leap from the “man-made cage” to the “cosmic expanse.” -/- . (shrink)

In his seminal essay “Two Concepts of Liberty,” Isaiah Berlin categorized freedom into positive or negative liberty: “freedom to” or “freedom from.” He provided a powerful critique against the metaphysical nature of positive liberty, arguing that it is oppressive, in contrast to the conception of negative freedom, defined as lack of interference. Meanwhile, conversations around the concept of freedom in Daoist philosophy often hover around categorizing it as either positive liberty in its spiritual form—what Berlin calls the “retreat to (...) the inner citadel”—or a type of negative liberty, being free from society’s interference. In this work, I argue that it may instead be more fruitful to explore the Chinese commentarial tradition for two reasons: (1) the problem of Berlin’s liberalist framework is problematic due to its inherently Anglo-European context, and concurrently, (2) there have been rich discussions of the sociopolitical aspects of the _Zhuangzi_ 莊子, especially by its leading Chinese commentator G uo Xiang 郭象, which have not been accounted for. Drawing from G uo Xiang, I render a reading of the concept of “free and easy wandering” (_xiaoyao_ 逍遙) in the _Zhuangzi_ as it directly relates to self-realization (_zide_ 自得) and having no heart-mind (_wuxin_ 無心), which makes for a more holistic understanding of freedom as self-determination. In particular, I argue that freedom in the philosophy of the _Zhuangzi_ can be more aptly understood as “freedom in,” which is more viable and just than both “freedom to” and “freedom from.”. (shrink)

This paper argues that the Zhuangzi 《莊子》 represents a specific type of Daoist practical philosophy: It is medicinal or therapeutic and seeks to promote existential ease, often by means of humor. Part of its approach to practical philosophy consists in pointing out the impracticality of many early Chinese philosophical doctrines, and, especially, Confucian political and ethical teachings. To illustrate this understanding of the Zhuangzi, the narrative of Confucius’ visit to the legendary Gangster Zhi (dao zhi 盜跖) is analyzed in (...) some detail. (shrink)

Comparative political philosophy has recently grown in prominence, but most attention focuses on Confucians such as Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi. Daoists, particularly Zhuangzi, have long been neglected. This paper proposes an “institutional approach” to Zhuangzi's philosophy, examining what institutions can create a social environment that enables ordinary people to achieve “wandering” (you). Wandering means openness to diverse perspectives and adaptability to change. Achieving this state requires the cultivation of de, which involves recognizing diverse forms of the good life and developing (...) virtues such as open-mindedness and tolerance. Zhuangzist sages, who already possess de, are generally able to wander regardless of circumstance. However, ordinary individuals face numerous obstacles that hinder their cultivation of de. Therefore, supportive institutions, such as civil liberties, are crucial for removing these barriers and enabling people to cultivate de, and thus pursue the kind of flourishing and exploratory life endorsed by Zhuangzi. (shrink)

In this paper, I shall present a comparative study of two leading Daoists’ different conceptions of truth in the context of modern metaphysical debate on realism and antirealism. My basic contention in this paper is that both Laozi and Zhuangzi embrace the realist's thesis that the world is largely independent of us and the way we are; it has its own objective nature.

本研究对中国传统文化核心命题“儒道互补”进行了批判性的去神圣化解构。长期以来，儒道互补被视为中国人的生存智慧，即“达则兼济天下，穷则独善其身”。然而，本研究指出，在现代权力场与职场语境下，这一模式已异 化为一种极其精密的“精神套利策略”。 -/- 其核心逻辑在于：个体通过在儒家的“秩序服从”与道家的“消极解脱”之间进行无缝切换，构建了一套低风险、高收益的心理避险机制。在权力扩张期，儒家被工具化为获取资源与道德优越感的入场券；在责任承担期，道家则 被矮化为逃避公共契约与制度纠偏的解压阀。这种“双重变色龙”式的机会主义，本质上消解了真理的彻底性与道德的刚性。 -/- 研究进一步发现，儒道互补形成了一个封闭的心理回路，导致了文明的“热寂”现象：它通过虚假的“圆融”修辞掩盖了社会结构的根本矛盾，阉割了原本具有解构力量的批判精神。这种文化性格不仅制造了现代职场中广泛存在 的精致利己主义与犬儒色彩，更在根本上阻碍了契约精神与法治思维的建立。本文主张，必须击碎这种伪善的二元博弈，重建具有现代性特征的、不可交易的人格尊严与批判锋芒。 -/- This study conducts a critical de-sacralizing deconstruction of the core proposition of traditional Chinese culture, the “Confucian–Daoist complement.” For a long time, this complement has been regarded as the wisdom of Chinese survival, encapsulated in the maxim: “When successful, one benefits the world; when unsuccessful, one cultivates oneself.” However, this study argues that within the context of modern power structures and workplace environments, this model has degenerated into an alienated “spiritual arbitrage strategy.” -/- (...) Its core logic lies in the seamless switching between Confucian “obedience to order” and Daoist “passive detachment,” through which individuals construct a low-risk, high-return psychological hedging mechanism. During phases of power expansion, Confucianism is instrumentalized as a ticket for acquiring resources and moral superiority; during phases of responsibility-bearing, Daoism is reduced to a pressure-release valve for evading public contracts and institutional correction. This “dual-chameleon” opportunism fundamentally dissolves the integrity of truth and the rigidity of morality. -/- The study further finds that the Confucian–Daoist complement forms a closed psychological loop, leading to a phenomenon of civilizational “heat death”: it conceals the fundamental contradictions of social structures through a false rhetoric of “harmonious integration,” while castrating the critical spirit that originally possessed deconstructive power. This cultural disposition not only produces the refined egoism and pervasive cynicism in modern workplaces, but also fundamentally obstructs the establishment of contractual spirit and rule-of-law thinking. This paper argues that this hypocritical dualistic game must be shattered, and a modern personality characterized by inalienable dignity and critical sharpness must be reconstructed. -/- . (shrink)

This chapter examines the hermeneutic method of WANG Bi’s interpretation and demonstrates how it is used in his interpretation of classical texts from the perspectives of the Daoist annotation tradition and the development of Confucian classics studies in the Han Dynasty.Jiang shows that WANG Bi’s discourse on the relationship between words and ideas emphasizes the significance of textual meaning and expands the scope of hermeneutics. WANG Bi’s transition from cosmology to ontology disrupted the theoretical framework of Han Dynasty (...) exegetics that was built on qi 氣-theory, enabling him to perceive the true existence of all things from the ontological perspective of Dao 道 or “Non-being” (wu 無). Breaking the boundary between Confucianism and Daoism, WANG Bi endeavored to reconcile their conflicts. It can be largely attributed to WANG Bi’s efforts that Daoism transformed from “Huang-Lao 黃老” thought in the Han Dynasty to “Lao-Zhuang 老莊” thought in the Wei-Jin dynasties period. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Title Index to Daoist CollectionsPoul AndersenTitle Index to Daoist Collections. By Louis Komjathy. Cambridge, MA: Three Pines Press, 2002. Pp. ii + 216.Title Index to Daoist Collections by Louis Komjathy provides a combined index to the titles of the works contained in seven of the most important collections of Daoist texts. In addition to the Ming dynasty Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong reign (...) period, Zhengtong daozang—first printed in 1444-1445, with a supplement printed in 1607—the collections include the Daoist manuscripts found in Dunhuang (published by Ōfuchi Ninji in 1979), Daozang jiyao (1906), Daozang jinghua lu (1922), Daozang jinghua (1963) (volume titles only), Zangwai daoshu (1992-1995), and Qigong yangsheng congshu (1990).Part 1 of the book consists of separate Chinese-character indexes to the book titles in each of these collections, arranged in the order of their appearance in the respective collections and with reference to their sequential numbering, volume number, and starting-page number in one edition of the collection (pp. 29-107). Part 2 is a combined pinyin index to all of these titles (as well as to abbreviated versions of some titles), arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced with the character indexes (pp. 109-211). In addition, the book contains two appendixes: (1) a Chinese-character index to the titles of the texts included in the sixteen volumes of the above-mentioned Daozang jinghua that happened to be available to the author, [End Page 407] according to whom the complete collection (of 107 volumes) is not to be found in any major North American library, and (2) a Chinese-character index to the book titles in the Daozang xubian, a collection of twenty-three internal alchemy works published by Min Yide in 1834 (pp. 213-216). The titles contained in these appendixes are not included in the pinyin index.The book is beautifully produced and conveniently organized, and it will no doubt prove to be a useful reference tool for students involved in the study of Daoism based on primary sources. Apart from the Zhengtong daozang, none of the collections have been indexed with a proper numbering system before, and the fact that they are provided here with a combined index has the advantage of allowing the researcher to get an immediate overview of the available versions of any text that is included in these collections. It should be noticed, however, that the usefulness of the combined index is somewhat reduced by the lack of a consistent analysis of the individual titles of texts in terms of their most significant parts, and the absence of systematically sound choices concerning what abbreviated versions of the titles to include in the index. In this respect, the present book remains infinitely inferior to the existing standard concordance to the titles of the Zhengtong daozang, published by Kristofer Schipper in 1975 and included as a supplement volume in the most widely used sixty-volume reprint of the Canon (issued in Taiwan in 1977). As noted by the author of the present book, this concordance has the advantage over the earlier Harvard-Yenching Index from 1935 in that it lists the titles of the Daozang under every possible character. The inclusion of abbreviated versions of titles in the present index clearly is intended to make up for the absence of this kind of systematic indexing. It is equally clear, however, that this measure does not completely resolve the problem, and that consequently the present book in no way supersedes the earlier index as far as the basic Ming dynasty Canon (representing some 40 percent of the totality of Chinese-character indexes in the book) is concerned. A couple of random spot checks using abbreviated titles brought this out to this reviewer.The book is a reference tool—that is, not for systematic reading—so in order to put it to a test I chose to look up a couple of titles with which I have recently been concerned in the course of my research on Daoism. The first was the Wucheng fu (shang)jing, one of the key texts of the early Lingbao tradition (promulgated around 400 C.E.). The result was disappointing, as the combined... (shrink)

In this new collection of previously unpublished papers, Daoism is a philosophy, and it is presented not exclusively as a religion but as a practical way of life related to all aspects of human beings and the natural environment. Since its origins in China thousands of years ago, Daoism has meant harmony with nature and other human beings. Its principles may be applied successfully by those with any or no religion who seek a world of greater understanding, harmony, and peace. (...) Addressed to a broad audience ranging from newcomers to seasoned professionals, this book introduces the concepts of Dao, Daoism, and its pioneering philosophers (e.g., Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Liezi). The book describes the importance of Dao and Daoist ideas for scientists, humanists, and practitioners while offering practical steps and guidance for our lives today. Like the familiar taiji (also known as tai chi) symbol associated with Daoism, this book is divided into two complementary sections. The first explores how Dao and Daoist ideas are related to science, humanities, and the arts. The second part focuses on Daoist practices and applications. The essays, written by experts in their fields of study, address a number of topics, including the Dao of sciences (e.g., statistics) and arts, similarities between natural Dao and Darwin's evolutionary science, and Daoist contribution to sciences and technology. Other subjects include the growing interest in Daoist ideas in the West, Daoist cognitive science and the yin-yang dialectical mind, Daoism's relationship to peace psychology and ecology psychology (via self-observation and self-understanding), and Zhuangzhou's aesthetic view on the naturalness of things (i.e., the most beautiful entities are those that are naturally created by the Dao). In addition to these theoretical explorations, the book offers abundant practical applications of Daoist ideas to our lives and work. Practical guidance is offered in applying Daoist principles to physical and mental health, meditation and dantian cultivation, classroom learning, and diversity management. Clear-cut directions offer insight into applying Daoist ideas to leadership training, clinical therapy, and administration. The book provides readers with the universal applicability of Daoist principles and the benefit of living in harmony with nature, Dao, and others. This book is unique in its appeal to a wide range of readers. On the one hand, it provides an introduction for those with minimal knowledge of Daoism. On the other hand, sophisticated Daoist scholars, researchers, or practitioners may also be enriched and enlightened by its presentation of recent research findings, scholarly discussions, and hands-on applications. Years in the making, this book project represents a milestone of achievement for its writers and editors. Nova Science Publishers is pleased to offer readers this long-overdue compendium of Daoist wisdom, from basic information to tools for transformation in the 21st century. Happy reading! (shrink)

The Qing dynasty scholar Liu Yuan (1768-1856) developed a unique system of thought, merging Confucian learning with ideas and practices from Daoism and Buddhism, and was eventually venerated as the founding patriarch of an influential movement combining the characteristics of a scholarly circle and a religious society. Liu Yuan, a native of Sichuan, was an outstanding Confucian scholar whose teachings were commonly referred to as Liumen (Liu School). Assisted by his close disciples, Liu edited a Daoist ritual canon titled (...) Fayan huizuan (Compendium of Ritual Words). Daoist priests affiliated with the Liumen community and using the Fayan huizuan canon in their rituals constituted an independent liturgical branch of Daoism, which is still extant and known under the name of "Fayan tan" (Altar of Ritual Words). Following a comprehensive description of the Liumen tradition, the volume by Volker Olles discusses the compilation history of the Fayan huizuan canon, the lineage of the Fayan tan priests, as well as the temporal framework of their liturgy. The main part of the volume consists of a detailed study of the ritual canon, identifying its textual sources and describing its pantheon, the influence of the Liumen ideology on its texts, as well as the function and performance of its rituals in contemporary religious practice. Furthermore concluding thoughts about the Fayan tan tradition's role in present-day Sichuan constitute the epilogue. By showing how members of the Confucian elite were involved in the evolution of modern Daoism, this study sheds light on hitherto obscure or poorly understood aspects of the intellectual and spiritual culture of Southwest China. (shrink)

Living Authentically brings together classical scholars of Daoism, professors of psychology, practicing psychologists, medical doctors, and alternative practitioners to explore different Daoist concepts of the mind and its transformations in relation to various schools of modern psychology. The book explores how Daoism can help us live in the world sustaining relationships, and educating children, in a stress-free, truly authentic way. Book jacket.

Early Daoist religious groups resulted from popular movements and promoted mass education. They argued humanity needed new moral principles to avoid the approaching apocalypse and arrive at an era of great peace. The anonymous Scripture on Great Peace is an early Daoist document. This chapter’s topic is the Scripture’s plan for achieving radical social change. Its authors propagated a campaign of universal re-education that would necessarily be enacted by the same people who were in need of education. All (...) strata were expected to collect and critically edit texts and, once done, to study these texts until all arrived at the same basic understanding of cosmic and social rules. This plan linked proselytising and educational factors to contrasting social environments. Although devised by authors of limited education and literacy, it valued the production and reading of texts as highly as was the case in the Han Dynasty official culture that was strongly influenced by the followers of Confucius. (shrink)

Unsurprisingly for a text of its sophistication and depth, the Daodejing in general, and its concept of “wuwei 無為” in particular, have been subject to a variety of applications, both popular and scholarly. Perhaps the most common topic to which the Laozian concept of wuwei has been applied is the issue of ecological degradation and the global environmental crisis. Taking wuwei and environmentalism as an important case study of applied wuwei, this chapter provides an overview of scholarly efforts to integrate (...) the two topics. More specifically, this chapter discusses English-language works on environmentalism and wuwei from the 1980s onward. The chapter first provides a brief overview of the history of English-language discussions of early Chinese thought and modern environmentalism before moving on to a more detailed consideration of the place of wuwei within those discussions. It further argues that scholarship on wuwei can be broadly divided into a variety of approaches that differ in their understanding of “nature,” their characterization of wuwei and their views on how early Chinese Daoist thought relates to Western thought and the environmental movement, but which end up making arguments that overlap in significant ways. (shrink)

This article examines silence and stillness as central aesthetic strategies in contemporary slow cinema, exploring their capacity to evoke contemplation, resist narrative acceleration, and offer alternative temporal experiences in an era of media saturation. Drawing on Paul Schrader’s theory of transcendental style, with its progression from everyday realism to decisive stasis (2018), Ira Jaffe’s conceptualization of slow movies as an existential counter to the spectacle-driven “cinema of action” through curtailed motion and spatiotemporal vacancy (2014), and Tiago de Luca and Nuno (...) Barradas Jorge’s plural, global framing of slow cinema’s challenge to instrumentalized time (2016), the study employs a transcultural comparative approach. Through the interpretive lens of Emersonian Transcendentalism, American filmmakers Terrence Malick, Paul Schrader, and Kelly Reichardt deploy silence as a site of individual spiritual trial, ethical introspection, and quotidian transcendence amid modern alienation. In contrast, guided by Daoist aesthetics, Chinese directors Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai, and Bi Gan utilize stillness, long takes, and minimal dialogue to foreground emptiness (xu), non-action (wuwei), and relational flux, integrating human experience with environmental and temporal processes. By placing these practices in dialogue, the article argues that silence and stillness operate as transcultural strategies that converge in their defiance of contemporary hyper-acceleration while remaining rooted in distinct philosophical horizons—Emersonian self-reliance versus Daoist interdependence—thus broadening slow and transcendental cinema scholarship toward a more inclusive global perspective. (shrink)

The approach of returning to the original and recovering nature is a typical characteristic of Chinese philosophy. It was founded by the Daoist School and followed by both Daoist and Confucian schools. The precondition of returning to the original and recovering nature is the stillness and goodness within nature integrated into a whole afterwards. Its implementation includes not only returning to the original root so as to achieve the philosophical aim but also restoration to the original nature after (...) it is injured by man’s physical nature and desire. The realization of human nature depends on the work making up for the loss of the original nature. Although there are different methods of realization concerning the return to the original nature, such as returning to the root, seeking the lost mind, extinguishing desire, being good at return, and the self-consciousness of intuitive knowledge, all of these aim at returning to the original nature of stillness and purity. The philosophical value consists in the unceasing pursuit of returning to the original nature. (shrink)

Chinese philosophy had important changes as well as advances in the Han dynasty. First, in their study of pre-Qin philosophors, Han scholars focused overwhelmingly on Confucianism; therefore, Lunyu (or Analects) and Mengzi were highly worshiped and finally enshrined as the Classics in the Han Dynasty. While Daoism was dwarfed to a subordinate place, other pre-Qin schools lost their official status and became civilian teachings. Second, many new thinkers emerged in the Han dynasty. On the one hand, many new Confucian thinkers (...) and works emerged, such as Lu JiaLu Jia (陆贾)and his Xinyu, Dong ZhongshuDong Zhongshu (董仲舒, 179-104 BC) and his Chunqiu Fan Lu, Yang Xiong and his Fayan. On the other hand, many well-known non-Confucian thinkers and works also appeared, such as the new Daoist Liu An and his Huainanzi, the materialist Wang ChongWang Chong(王充，,, 27-97 AD), with the adult name Zhongren(字仲任) and his Lunheng, and the agriculturalist Cui ShiCui Shi (崔寔) and his Simin Yueling. (shrink)

The Laozi (Daodejing) and the Zhuangzi have long been familiar to Western readers and have served as basic sources of knowledge about early Chinese Daoism. Modern translations and studies of these works have encouraged a perception of Daoism as a mystical philosophy heavy with political implications that advises kings to become one with the Dao. Breaking with this standard approach, The Pristine Dao argues that the Laozi and the Zhuangzi participated in a much wider tradition of metaphysical discourse that (...) included a larger corpus of early Chinese writings. This book demonstrates that early Daoist discourse possessed a distinct, textually constituted coherence and a religious sensibility that starkly differed from the intellectual background of all other traditions of early China, including Confucianism. The author argues that this discourse is best analyzed through its emergence from the mythological imagination of early China, and that it was unified by a set of notions about the Dao that was shared by all of its participants. The author introduces certain categories from the Western religious and philosophical traditions in order to bring out the distinctive qualities constituting this discourse and to encourage its comparison with other religious and philosophical traditions. (shrink)

Leading international scholars present analysis and case studies from different cultural settings, East and West, exploring aesthetic interest and experience in our daily lives at home, in workplaces, using everyday things, in our built and natural environments, and in our relationships and communities. A wide range of views and examples of everyday aesthetics are presented from western philosophical paradigms, from Confucian and Daoist aesthetics, and from the Japanese tradition. All indicate universal features of human aesthetic lives together with (...) their cultural variations. Comparative Everyday Aesthetics is a significant contribution to a key trend in international aesthetics for thinking beyond narrow art-centered conceptions of the aesthetic. It generates global discussions about good, aesthetic, everyday living in all its various aspects. It also promotes aesthetic education for personal, social, and environmental development and presents opportunities for global collaborative projects in philosophical aesthetics. (shrink)

In recent years, among the studies of pre-Qin dynasty philosophy there has been a drastic increase in the relative weight devoted to the study of the Daoist school. In particular, there has been a revival in the study of the ideas of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. This is represented not only by many investigations and discussions of subjects that had been suspended in the past and of issues on which there had been differences of opinion, but also (...) in proposals for new topics of study and new research methodologies that have followed in the wake of the deepening research. This has enabled the current state of the scholarship on the thought of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi to have greatly exceeded that of our predecessors, whether in terms of breadth or depth. This unprecedented state of affairs is inseparably related to the prosperous development of the entire field of the history of philosophy in our country. At the same time, in the process of deepening this research work, a number of scholarly differences have also been exposed. These long-unresolved divergences of opinion have naturally prompted many scholars to rethink their own methodologies, theories, and paradigms as well as values and criteria. The value of such rethinking for the future of scholarship must not be underestimated. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on the philosophy of time in pre-Qin Daoist thought has not yet produced a thorough examination of dao’s relationship to time. This essay resolves this omission through a systematic study of the concept heng 恒 in pre-Qin Daoist literature. While principally expressing the ‘constancy’ of dao, heng also significantly presupposes dao’s ability to change. This change is characterized in the texts as a cyclical movement of ‘return’ and identified with the universe’s circular metanarrative of generation (...) and reintegration. The essay turns to examine pre-Qin Daoist literature’s use of primal wu 無 metaphors to describe dao. It concludes that they present dao as undifferentiated infinitude, liberating dao as heng from the tense structure of past-present-future that divides life in time. These metaphors further associate the movement of dao with the flow of time, reformulating time’s relentless ever-greater advancement into an endless cycle of creative transformation. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Rethinking Daoism as Activism:The Political Wisdom of Daoist Texts as a Response to the Contemporary Environmental CrisisLisa Indraccolo (bio)To propose a reading of Daoism as a form of social activism at first might sound almost paradoxical. This trend of thought is in fact well known for promoting, as a healthy, sustainable way of life for both the individual1 and the surrounding natural environment, what might actually seem the (...) exact opposite of social activism. The present discussion aims at showing that Daoism can actually be understood and practiced as a form of proactive social engagement, taking as a starting point Eric S. Nelson's recent work Daoism and Environmental Philosophy: Nourishing Life (2021), and in particular chapter 5, "Early Daoist biopolitics and a new Daoist political ecology" (pp. 100–118). As will be shown, it is a rather unique kind of social activism that differs from both science-based environmentalism and militant public activism. This article further problematizes certain reductionist tendencies that are still very much alive in the contemporary academic debate about and interpretations of early Daoism, and in particular of its political philosophy. This issue is particularly relevant when we proceed to address Daoist ecopolitics, and especially its applicability to the environmental crisis. From this perspective, Nelson convincingly persuades the reader of the potential and the contemporary relevance of certain pragmatic aspects, and in particular practices or "virtuous attitudes," theorized by early Daoist ecopolitical discourse in tackling environmental issues of global concern.Nelson's contribution addresses wuwei 無為, the well-known Daoist way of proactive non-action or "effortless action,"2 or, as Nelson persuasively interprets it, "attuned action,"3 "attuned responsiveness,"4 or "attuned, effortless, non-calculative unforced responsiveness,"5 thereby providing a substantial contribution to further refining the concept with an even more successful translation. Wuwei means acting without either being subjected to or exerting coercion, and in accordance or in "attunement" with the natural course of things. As Nelson suggests, such a way of acting and behaving could be systematically applied to radically rethink and revolutionize contemporary non-eco-friendly and eventually self-sabotaging, dysfunctional forms of human aggregation and interaction.In this most valuable enterprise, Nelson's book achieves two additional goals, touching upon two other critical and closely interconnected issues. First, Nelson draws attention to and provides substantial evidence to support the existence of a fairly coherent theoretical system as the basis of Daoist [End Page 781] political philosophy, with a focus on its political ecology, which has often been overlooked or neglected in favor of other apparently more appealing aspects of Daoist thinking. Nelson's analysis provides a fundamental contribution to a most necessary "demystification" of Daoist philosophy. By unveiling its substantially political underlying goals and agenda, his study thereby reconciles Daoist thought and brings it into a more coherent dialogue with the intellectual landscape of the Warring States period, during which we might assume that the two main received texts associated with this tradition, the Laozi 老子 and the Zhuangzi 莊子, started to assume the form in which they were eventually transmitted.Second, in doing so, Nelson's book contributes to the gradual ongoing process of "decolonization" of Chinese philosophy in a twofold way. It further invites considerations about certain latent "orientalistic" tendencies that are evidently still very much alive in the way in which Western scholarship approaches the study of early Chinese philosophy, and in preconceived ideas about certain texts and trends of thought and their imaginary conceptual boundaries, in which it still indulges at times. Moreover, Nelson proposes concrete ways in which ancient Daoist ideas and practices could be enacted in today's world to tackle the current ecological crisis by acting upon society in order to promote radical changes in people's attitude, not only toward the environment, but also toward each other, "therapeutically fostering a more appropriate ecological culture"6 and rethinking the very same concept of society and the principles that are its basis. Nelson shows the universality of the message of Daoist thought (and thereby, one might be tempted to say, contributes to substantiating the legitimacy of Chinese philosophy)7 and its relevance to the contemporary debate on climate and the environmental crisis. Such a... (shrink)

This paper explores the concept of "modern fiction" as articulated by Virginia Woolf in her essay "Modern Fiction" and juxtaposes it with the philosophical insights of Laozi, thus creating a dialogue between Western modernist literature and Eastern philosophical thought. The study begins by constructing a definition of "modern fiction" that encapsulates themes of historical consciousness, the fluidity of psychological experiences, and the subjective perception of reality. These themes resonate with the spiritual and existential questions addressed in both Woolf's literary works (...) and Laozi's Daoist teachings. The central focus of this comparative analysis is the categories of modern fiction that govern its essence and existence. These categories, including introspection, impression, memory, feeling, significant moments, psychological time, and the flow of consciousness, serve as the gravitational centre for both Woolf's and Laozi's interpretations of modernity. This paper examines how these elements reflect the open-ended nature of human experience and the discontinuities of historical progression, thus engaging with the broader philosophical questions about the nature of self, the other, and the cosmos. Woolf’s depiction of the fluidity of human consciousness and Laozi’s emphasis on harmony and balance in life intersect at various points, offering insights into the openness and finiteness of modern fiction. This study highlights how both thinkers advocate for literature that transcends traditional boundaries and mirrors human existence's complex, multifaceted nature. This analysis suggests that Woolf's and Laozi’s approaches to literary criticism and philosophical thought do not prescribe a fixed method for categorizing fiction. Instead, their ideas champion a literary and existential openness model that resonates with contemporary societal and philosophical challenges. The paper argues that their works' existential and spiritual dimensions provide a rich framework for understanding the interplay between individual consciousness and universal truths, thus contributing significantly to the discourse on philosophy and literature. (shrink)

Based on the Lao–Yang Genesis Cosmology, this paper systematically demonstrates the scientific-philosophical proposition that Dao corresponds to the Milky Way. It aims to unify the classical Daoist generative logic with modern astronomy, thermodynamics, and systems science. By analyzing Dao’s non-personal, non-teleological, and non-material characteristics, the study identifies the Milky Way as the scientific entity realizing Dao’s generative law, providing necessary constraints for the formation of the Solar System, Earth, and life. Integrating the second law of thermodynamics and entropy increase, (...) the paper explains how global disorder increases while local low-entropy systems maintain stability through energy flow, feedback, and self-organization, implementing cycles of generation, dissipation, and regeneration, corresponding to Laozi’s principle “the reversal is the movement of Dao.” From a systems science perspective, the Milky Way, the Solar System, Earth, and ecological civilizations form hierarchical coupled, nonlinear, and dissipative structures, ensuring the necessity of the generative chain. The study concludes that Dao, entropy, and generation can be unified scientifically and philosophically: Dao serves as the generative principle, the Milky Way embodies it physically, entropy provides the driving mechanism, and local order realizes generative chain stability, forming a coherent framework bridging philosophy and science. Finally, implications for human civilization, ecological management, and scientific-philosophical education are discussed, alongside future research directions in Milky Way formation mechanisms, multi-scale entropy dynamics, and systems-philosophy integration, providing a foundation for the scientific realization of Dao and sustainable civilization development. -/- Keywords: Dao philosophy, Milky Way, entropy, generative chain, systems science, scientific philosophy . (shrink)

In this chapter, I intend to explicate the philosophical concept of peace from the perspective of Daoism implied in the Laozi. The discussion consists of three aspects: (1) the concepts of peace in various philosophical schools during the Warring States period of ancient China, (2) the anti-war sentiment and its indications to the Laozi’s view concerning war and peace, and (3) possible contemporary implications of the Laozi’s idea of peace for peace studies. I will submit that the argument on (...) peace in the Laozi is more complicated than simply labelling it as “pacifism” in a sense of an absolute refusal to bear arms. I will contend that peace in the Laozi is closer to “pacificism,” a term employed in contemporary discourse of peace, indicating a commitment to peace and peacefulness but not a principled or absolute rejection of war. Meanwhile, I will explain how the Daoist idea of peace or peace-making implies the mechanism of seeking effective ways to deal with the underlying causes and dynamics that create conflicts and violence. (shrink)

Xuantong 玄同 (tentatively translated as dark oneness) is a unique Daoist idea that represents an ideally mental and physical state as a result of cultivation. However, owing to limited context in the Laozi, there is no consensus on the interpretation of xuantong. Contemporary studies have also neglected xuantong’s evolution in early texts and assumed a homogeneous understanding, and hence, failed to provide a nuanced account. In this article, I investigate how xuantong evolves from the Guodian Laozi to the (...) Huainanzi and Wenzi. I argue that although xuantong may originate from the Laozi, it is in the Wenzi that a coherent theory of xuantong is accomplished. This theory advocates an orderly process of cultivation that covers internal mental states, external acts, and integration with the whole universe. The cultivation would eventually lead people to adopt an undifferentiated perspective on, and reach oneness with, all things in the universe. (shrink)

中国道教历史上形成了正一道、全真道、上清派、灵宝派等多源门派。表面差异巨大，但其深层理论基础均源于老子“道法自然”的宇宙哲学。本文以老-杨创世纪宇宙观为核心框架，提出“统一道法自然科学道教”的概念，将 道教修行、文明功能与银河系—太阳系—地球—人类的宇宙层级链相结合。文章从七个章节系统分析道教历史困境、共同结构性问题及复位方案，提出科学化修行体系、层级链调适、社会文明功能重构，以及未来教育与实践路径 ，为道教从宗教体系向现代自然文明宇宙智慧体系转型提供理论依据。 -/- Historically, Chinese Daoism developed into multiple lineages, including Zhengyi, Quanzhen, Shangqing, and Lingbao schools. Despite superficial differences, their theoretical foundation derives from Laozi’s cosmological philosophy of Dao Fa Zi Ran. This study employs the Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology as a framework to propose the concept of Unified Scientific Daoism, integrating Daoist cultivation, societal functions, and the cosmic hierarchy of galaxy—solar system—Earth—humanity. Through seven chapters, the paper analyzes historical challenges, structural issues, and repositioning strategies, proposing a scientific cultivation system, (...) hierarchical alignment, social function reconstruction, and future educational and practical pathways, thereby providing a theoretical basis for Daoism’s transformation from a religious system into a modern natural-civilization and cosmic wisdom framework. -/- 关键词 / Keywords -/- 道教；道法自然；老-杨创世纪宇宙观；科学哲思；宇宙层级链；文明调适 -/- Daoism; Dao Fa Zi Ran; Lao-Yang Genesis Cosmology; Scientific Philosophy; Cosmic Hierarchical Chain; Civilizational Alignment -/- . (shrink)