Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry

by Keping Wang

Overview

The Dao De Jing represents one of the most important works of Chinese philosophy, in which the author, Lao Zi (c. 580-500 BC), lays the foundations of Taoism. Composed of 81 short sections, the text itself is written in a poetic style that is ambiguous and challenging for the modern reader. Yet while its meaning may be obscure, the text displays the originality of Lao Zi's wisdom and remains a hugely influential work to this day.

In Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry, Wang Keping offers a clear and accessible guide to this hugely important text. Wang's thematic approach opens up key elements of the Dao De Jing in a way that highlights and clarifies the central arguments for the modern reader. Presenting comprehensive textual analysis of key passages and a useful survey of recent Taoist scholarship, the book provides the reader with an insight into the origins of Taoist philosophy. This is the ideal companion to the study of this classic Taoist text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441196514
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/03/2011
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Wang Keping is a Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at Beijing International Studies University, China. His previous publications include The Classic of the Dao (Foreign Languages Press, 1998) and Ethos of Chinese Culture (Foreign Languages Press, 2007). He has also contributed articles to a number of edited collections, including Contemporary Chinese Philosophy edited by Chung-Ying Cheng and Nicholas Bunnin (Blackwell, 2002), The Challenges of Globalization edited by Steven Hicks and Daniel Shannon (Blackwell, 2007) and The Pursuit of Comparative Aesthetics edited by Mashar Hussain and Robert Wilkinson (Ashgate, 2006).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Preface xi

Reference key xiv

1 The Essence of the Dao 1

2 The Features of the Dao 12

3 The Movement of the Dao 18

4 The Dao and the Myriad Things 21

5 The Dao of Heaven and the Dao of Human 28

6 From the Dao into the De 32

7 The Qualities of the De 37

8 On Have-substance and Have-no-substance 41

9 On Take-action and Take-no-action 44

10 On Pleasure-Snobbery and Acquisitiveness 49

11 On the Hard and the Soft 54

12 On the Beautiful and the Ugly 59

13 On Beauty, Truth, and Goodness 63

14 On Modesty and Retreat 67

15 On Knowledge and Wisdom 71

16 On Fortune and Misfortune 77

17 On Life and Death 81

18 On the Merits of Contentment 84

19 On the Possibilities of Achievement 86

20 On the Art of Leadership 89

21 On Warfare 103

22 On Peace 108

23 On Returning to Antiquity 111

24 On the Ideal Society 117

25 The Attitude to the Dao and the De 119

26 The Experience of the Dao and the De 123

27 The Praxis of the Dao and the De 127

28 The Attainment of the Dao and the De 130

Appendix: The Dao De Jing of Laozi 141

References 175

Index 179