The Application of Taoist Metaphysics to Ethics

749 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: quizlet taoism

Taoism originate two thousand years ago as the Chinese tradition of philosophy and religious beliefs. Taoism gains much of its philosophical principles from the Tao Te Ching. This classic text is one of the earliest books in the school of Chinese thought written by a contemporary of Confucius: Lao Tzu. Taoism revolves around the Tao and encourages harmonious and neutral interaction with one's environment. The ethics of Taoism are not strictly stated in Tao Te Ching and can be difficult to decipher, but the metaphysical foundation of Taoism clues people in on how to become a moral person. Metaphysics is an area of philosophical thought that deals with the “fundamental nature of being and all that encompasses it” (Geisler 446). The relationship between ultimate and peripheral realities within Taoism help us to apply metaphysical concepts to understand what beings should view as ethical.
Metaphysics of Taoism
The word “Tao,” translated as “way” or “path,” in ancient Chinese philosophy, is the metaphysical foundation of Taoism that corresponds to the ultimate reality. The Tao is ultimate, in that, it exists prior to Heaven and Earth. In chapter twenty-five of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu writes, “There was something formless yet complete,/ that existed before heaven and earth;/ Without sound, without substance,/ Dependent on nothing, unchanging.../ Its true name we do not know;/'Way'[Tao] is the by-name that we give it.'” As humans, living in a concrete and definite world, the Tao can be a difficult notion to comprehend because it lacks conceptualization. Consequently, the Tao can easily be described in antagonistic terms. The Tao is not a being, rather, it possesses non-being; therefore, one must not think of the Tao as comparabl...

... middle of paper ...

...ent. In chapter two, Lao Tzu writes, “For truly Being and Not-being grow out of one another.” We as humans are ultimately bonded and congruent with nature and all other entities. The actions and non actions of all individuals in our reality influence the existence of all other manifestations. For example, the choice of one person to not act creates opportunities for other things to act, while obstructing alternative actions. Person A's choice to not tell person B they are getting fired tomorrow before person B takes out a loan, allows for person B to learn the value of taking time to make important decisions, while the potential for Person B preventing large debt is obscured. The metaphysical foundation of Taoism asserts that all beings are incessantly interwoven, and brings harmonious action to the forefront of ethical considerations.
Meta-ethical Role of the Tao

Show More
Related

  • the Tao Of Pooh Book Review

    2327 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...oundation of all living things that exist in this world. The mission of Taoism is not to force its beliefs on people, but to help them realize their inner-self and guide into a happy life in harmony with nature. To best summarize Taoism a quote from Lao-Tse can be used: "We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond." There are thousands of religions that offer endless solutions to end suffering, to restore peace and unity in the world. For decades philosophers tried to come up with ways to find happiness, but in the end there was only one answer. The answer came from a some would call silly, others wise bear by the name of Winnie-the-Pooh, who discovered the secret for happiness in and old religion, founded by a great master Lao-Tse. This religion became the answer for the endless search for happiness and the answer was Taoism.

    Read More

  • Perfection in Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven

    1932 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Main Concepts of Taoism: Yin and Yang." Taoism and the Taoist Arts. April 2002. http://www.taoistarts.net/main.html#yin LeGuin, Ursula K. The Lathe of Heaven. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2000.

    Read More

  • Comparing Three Ethical Paradigms

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sometimes in life there are instances in which and individual must make a decision that will question their moral fiber. These instances could vary from whether or not to help others in need, decide whether an action is right or wrong or even when deciding who should live and who must die. How does one logically reason to an ethnical conclusion to these situations?

    Read More

  • The Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    Can suicide be justified as morally correct? This is one of the many questions Immanuel Kant answers in, “The Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals”. Kant discusses many questions with arguable answers, which explains why he is one of the most controversial philosophers still today. Throughout Kant’s work, multiple ideas are considered, but the Categorical Imperative is one of the most prevalent. Though this concept is extremely dense, the Categorical Imperative is the law of freedom that grounds pure ethics of the metaphysics of ethics. Categorical imperatives are the basis of morality because they provoke pure reasons for every human beings actions. By the end of his work, one will understand Kant’s beliefs on morality, but to explain this, he goes into depth on the difference between hypothetical imperatives and Categorical Imperative, two different formulations of the Categorical Imperative, and a few examples.

    Read More

  • What Is Religion?

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ccording to it. It is the level of understanding and respect a Taoist has with nature, everyone around them, and everything. This mystery is the last feature that is important to defining a religion.

    Read More

  • Taoism: Potential Within Passivity

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is important, for humans are urged by Taoist thought to place themselves below all else, especially the world, but also other people. The wise person will put another person's needs before their own.

    Read More

  • Taoisism And Confucianism Research Paper

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lao Tzu believed that Tao is a natural thing. He believes that you come by it or you realize its presents and experience it. The best way for me to explain how Lao Tzu perceives the Tao is to take it directly from our reading in Molloy, “The Doa cannot be named because it has no form. But the Dao can be experienced and followed by every individual thing that has a name (213).” Lao Tzu used Tao as a way of being and living in harmony with nature. Lao Tzu believed that Tao came to you by using his teaching of Wu Wei, Simplicity, Gentleness and Relativity (217-218).

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Buddhism And Taoism

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    In its second sense, Tao means "the way of the universe." Tao is something that goes through all beings, all of the earth. It is everywhere, all the time. It is something that flows through everything. This flowing idea links with the idea in Buddhism that Nirvana can be reached by anyone, as long as one is devoted enough and has lost all attachments.Thirdly, one life must be a certain way to work with the Tao: Tao also refers to "the way of human life" as it "meshes" with the universal Tao in its second sense.

    Read More

  • Metaphysics of Morals

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through his discussion of morals in the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant explores the question of whether a human being is capable of acting solely out of pure duty and if our actions hold true moral value. In passage 407, page 19, Kant proposes that if one were to look at past experiences, one cannot be certain that his or her rationalization for performing an action that conforms with duty could rest solely on moral grounds. In order to fully explain the core principle of moral theory, Kant distinguishes between key notions such as a priori and a posteriori, and hypothetical imperative vs. categorical imperative, in order to argue whether the actions of rational beings are actually moral or if they are only moral because of one’s hidden inclinations.

    Read More

  • The Tao-te Ching by Lao-Tzu and The Prince by Machiavelli

    1754 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Translated by Roger Greaves. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1969.

    Read More

  • Parallels Between Daoism and Hinduism

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although Daoism and Hinduism are two completely separate religions with the former indigenous to China and the latter to India, both of them encompass striking similarities that undeniably make it seem that one influenced the other. However, no known relations between the two religions exist. Comparing the small, but contextually vital part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata known as Bhagavad Gita with the central text to Daoism, Tao Te Ching offers an unparalleled journey of knowledge and understanding. Tao Te Ching emphasizes the crucial concept of Dao, which is translated as the “Way” while Bhagavad Gita stresses the all-encompassing Brahman. Since no sufficient language can express the full meaning of Dao, the most suitable example that shows its operations is the movement of water (TTC 8). Water simply flows with unity with nature – it can transform itself into whatever form is needed to flow. Dao is essentially an indescribable eternal energy and origin of the entire universe. Fully arriving at the Dao is the main goal of Daoism. Similarly, Brahman is the ultimate end to everything in the universe. In the Bhagavad Gita, Brahman is described as the source from which all beings originate from and eventually return. The fundamental principle of both concepts is, therefore, one and the same. I will specifically focus on vital parts of the two concepts in order to illustrate the parallelism of the eventual goal of the Dao and the Brahman. The emphasis on action with no desire for the “fruit” of the action, Dao and Brahman’s inexpressible essence, and following one’s own duty in order to complement the movement of the universe. These concepts illustrate the similarity between Dao and Brahman and ultimately demonstrate that they are ide...

    Read More

  • Confucianism In The Book Of Chuang Tzu

    1533 Words  | 4 Pages

    As one of the greatest founding novels of Taoism, Book of Chuang Tzu serves to strengthen Lao Tzu 's arguments in Tao Te Ching and lays the foundation for Taoism 's place in Chinese philosophy. Because Confucianism and Taoism are two competing philosophy schools that share more outstanding differences than similarities, the followers of both schools often refute and evaluate the ideals of the opposite school. However, the constant appearance of Confucius as the main character in more than twenty chapters in Book of Chuang Tzu not only surprises the readers, but also calls for deep analysis of the roles played Confucius in order to understand the true meaning of this ancient literature. While Chuang Tzu criticizes many of the Confucian ideas

    Read More

  • Difference Between Confucianism And Taoism

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113). Therefore, since the two religions grew up together, there are similarities, such as their views on humans, attempting to find harmony in life and in nature, and serve as guides for their followers through self-cultivation and improvement techniques. Confucianism believes that their congregation should have human conduct over the idea of God in their lives, whereas Taoism is formed on the belief that its congregation should create a relationship with nature. This is pointed out by Smith in Experiencing the World’s Religions, “Confucius represents the classical, Lao Tzu the romantic; Confucius stresses social responsibility, Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness; Confucius focus is on the human, Lao Tzu’s on what transcends the human” (Smith 218).

    Read More

  • The Three Classical Ethical Theories

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every day we are confronted with questions of right and wrong. These questions can appear to be very simple (Is it always wrong to lie?), as well as very complicated (Is it ever right to go to war?). Ethics is the study of those questions and suggests various ways we might solve them. Here we will look at three traditional theories that have a long history and that provide a great deal of guidance in struggling with moral problems; we will also see that each theory has its own difficulties. Ethics can offer a great deal of insight into the issues of right and wrong; however, we will also discover that ethics generally won’t provide a simple solution on which everyone can agree (Mosser, 2013).

    Read More

  • Reflection On World Religion

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lao-Tze founded Taoism around 550 BC. The goal in Taoism is achieve Inner harmony, pea...

    Read More

More about The Application of Taoist Metaphysics to Ethics

Open Document