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Socrates’ life and teachings revisited
When reading about the trial against Socrates (469-399 BC) and the exchanges between accusation and defence, I’m always amazed at the poor logic employed by Socrates. His defence in the trial was not only incompetent, but counterproductive. If he had left Athens beforehand and let the trial take place in his absence, I don’t think…
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Who was Socrates and what did he teach?
The writings of Plato, Xenophon and Aristophanes portray Socrates (469-399 BC) as a real historical figure, not a literary invention. However, most of what’s said about Socrates doesn’t come from the original sources, but from later elaborations. If we trust history and philosophy professors, Socrates is to be credited for the key ideas underlying Western…
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Why Taoist non-action requires iterations
I prefer to solve problems in one go if possible, but this will prove impossible on many occasions. Why? Because of lack of information, resources or self-discipline. On many occasions, I will discover too late that problems are more complex, serious, and wide-ranging than originally estimated. Lao-Tzu must have come to the same conclusion when…
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Non-action as an enabling factor
Once upon a time, a middle-aged executive was facing such severe problems that he decided to visit a Taoist hermit and ask for advice. The trip consumed one and half days because of the poor infrastructure in the area where the hermit lived. The local airport had few connections and featured a rental car office…
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How Taoist non-action furthers happiness
People nowadays often complain that life is too complicated and stressful. There are too many electronic systems to be used and they are constantly being changed; and there are too many requirements for doing everyday tasks, and those requirements are constantly being modified. No wonder that many admire the Taoist serenity and want to follow…
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Happiness and the Taoist non-action principle
To affirm or imply that “more is less” has distinct Orwellian connotations. I wonder if anyone can seriously argue that more is less, or that less is more, in any area of life. Even pre-school children can figure out that more ice cream is preferable to less ice cream, and more cookies preferable to fewer…
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The opposite of the Taoist idea of happiness
Today’s mainstream philosophy constitutes the opposite of the Taoist idea of happiness. Why? Because today’s dominant beliefs are hardly reconcilable with the Tao, as depicted in the Tao Te Ching. What do I mean when I say “today’s dominant beliefs”? On the one hand, the idea that everything is relative, that there are no universal…
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Why Taoists do not pursue happiness directly
In contrast to other philosophies or religions, Taoists do not regard happiness as a goal. Why? Because they view happiness as a side effect of leading a virtuous life, not as a goal in itself. Neither Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu or Chuang-Tzu employed the term “the pursuit of happiness” in their writings. They would have found such…
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Warnings about the Taoist idea of happiness
The desire to get something for nothing is a constant in all cultures and historical periods. To a large extent, mythology is derived from this desire. People make themselves believe that, if they perform a magical ritual, some divinity will assist them in getting something for nothing. When approaching Taoism for the first time, beginners…
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The Taoist path to happiness
It was not long ago that universal history used to be part of the curriculum in secondary schools. A solid understanding of the key historical periods, their ideas and leading figures was a precondition for graduation. Students were required to grasp the historical sequence that began with Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome,…
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Recent Posts
- Socrates’ life and teachings revisited
- Who was Socrates and what did he teach?
- Why Taoist non-action requires iterations
- Non-action as an enabling factor
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