The Political Thought of《Lao Tsu》
Author: Lin Chun-Hung
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
《Lao Tsu》, as the most important text of Taoist School in pre-Ch’in times, was undoubtedly written down for political discourse. We can analyze the political thought of《Lao Tsu》by discussing several concepts. Fist of all, “tao” has the meaning of “being” as well as “application”. The former also denotes “origin”, the latter “ rule” or “the way”. There is somewhat “negative thinking” in《Lao Tsu》which emerges from the concepts “Fan” (opposition then return) and “Ruo” (weakness). These two concepts deal with the action (or doing) of tao–to dispel (“sun”-損). In the discourse of《Lao Tsu》,to dispel means to weaken the influence of power (in a broad sense) and to return to “the way”. The concepts “xiu” (void, emptiness) and “jing” (still, on its own) emphasize the understanding of motion and the comprehension of the holly normal- “ch’ang” (常). By the understanding and comprehension, they also exemplify the skills to rule. “Se” has the significance to restrain or to prepare. By comparison with “xiu” and “jing”, “se” has somehow dialectically the positive implication. “Non-action”, being the most important concept in《Lao Tsu》, unfolds itself from four dimensions which reveal the spectrum of political doings. The political thought of《Lao Tsu》claims a balanced and harmonious order that can be built by the meaningful connection amid the concepts talked above. Owing to this perspective, we may name the constructed order of 《Lao Tsu》as “tao-chih” order (to rule of tao).