Daoism represents a rich and varied tradition of Chinese thought, with an ancient origin. Strictly speaking there is a distinction between philosophical Daoism, Dao jia, and religious Daoism, Dao jiao. The traditions differ, in particular on attitudes toward issues such as personal immortality. The two traditions are, however, interlinked. Here the main focus will be on the Daoist ethic; hence, the main concentration will be on the philosophical basis of Daoism.
On one level considerations of global justice may appear alien from a religion or philosophical belief such as Daoism. Hence, for example, Chapter Five of Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the Dao De Jing by Laozi, with whom the idea of the Dao originated, asserts the following:
Heaven and earth are not benevolent.
To them men are like straw dogs destined for sacrifice.
The Man of Calling is not benevolent.
This may appear to suggest an attitude of crude moral indifference on the part of the Daoists. Such a reading, however, is...
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References
Leihzi (1990) The book of Lieh-Tzu: a classic of the Tao (trans: Graham AC). Columbia University Press, p 34
Tzu L (1985) The Tao Ti Ching (trans: Wilhelm R). Routledge and Keegan Paul, p 28
Tzu L (2001) The Tao Ti Ching (trans: Jonathan Star Penguin Group), p 16
Zhuangzi (1996) The book of Chuang Tzu (trans: Palmer M, Breuilly E). Arkana (Penguin), London, p 269
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McDougall, U.E. (2011). Justice and Religion: Daoism. In: Chatterjee, D.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Justice. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9160-5_690
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