The easiest way to grasp Taoist philosophy is to familiarise ourselves with its history. Lao-Tzu did not create Taoism in a vacuum, but as a solution to existing problems. I’m referring to war, poverty, famine, and the underlying societal impositions.
A hostile environment prompted Lao-Tzu to conceive Wu Wei (the non-action principle) and the other Taoist insights. In a way, he was put in a situation where he had no choice: he had to find a better philosophy than the dishevelled incoherences in which most people pretend to believe, but actually do not.
The origins of Taoism resemble, in terms of substance, not of chronology, the origins of Western philosophy, in particular the figure of Socrates (470-399 BC) and his determined search for truth.
According to tradition, Lao-Tzu lived in the 6th century BC, that is, about 150 years earlier than Socrates. Nevertheless, both men had witnessed somewhat similar societal problems.
Taoism and Socrates
The context in Ancient Greece was different from the one in Ancient China, but the questions raised by Socrates resemble those raised by Lao-Tzu: Should we trust other people’s views or should we check the facts and draw our own conclusions? If we find discrepancies, how should we proceed?
To the first question, Seneca and Lao-Tzu gave exactly the same answer; but to the second question, their answers were as different as day and night. As a result, the lifestyle favoured by Socrates has nothing to do with the one favoured by Lao-Tzu.
Why did Socrates and Lao-Tzu choose antithetic lifestyles? I attribute their differences in lifestyle to their different views on human nature. Socrates believed that, by employing reason, we can make other people change their minds and embrace the truth.
In contrast, Lao-Tzu had little hope of convincing anyone of anything. Every verse of the Tao Te Ching rests on the premise that, even when faced with incontestable evidence, few people will change their minds. Lao-Tzu believed that social pressure, prejudice and ignorance often carry the day in the short term.
Let me underline that Socrates and Lao-Tzu were convinced that it’s better to check the facts and draw our own conclusions rather than trust other people blindly. Both Socrates and Lao-Tzu were conscious of the dangers of blind conformity, but did not agree on what to do about it.
Taoism and nature
In Chapter 22 of the Tao Te Ching, we can see the origins of Taoist self-reliance, the factor that sets Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu decisively apart from Socrates. Chapter 22 tells us that a wise person shall “embrace the Tao and become a model for the world.”
Socrates had never heard of Lao-Tzu or Taoism, nor did he ever come across a concept similar to the Tao. To make things worse, Socrates, due to the ancient Athenian institutions, could not conceive of the truth imposing itself on the world. If truth is to emerge victorious, Socrates thought, we need to convince other people to adopt it.
In contrast, Lao-Tzu couldn’t care less whether other people found his insights valuable or whether they became Taoists. If other people like the Tao Te Ching, great; and if they don’t, it will not make any difference because, in the long term, the Tao will impose itself anyway.
This insight alone put Taoism two hundred years ahead of its time. Lao-Tzu jumped over Socrates’ naive views on human nature, and over the ill-conceived theory of the forms proposed by Plato (427-347 BC). In terms of recognizing the supremacy of nature, Lao-Tzu is comparable to Aristotle (384-322 BC).
Chapter 20 of the Tao Te Ching restates this crucial element of Taoism. From its very origin, Taoism has remained rooted in nature, that is, rooted in reality or in the Tao. Lao-Tzu observes in Chapter 20 that, while most people draw their ideas from the world (from society), it is wiser to draw them directly from the earth (from the Tao).
Taoism and ancient China
Lao-Tzu lived in China in the 6th century BC in the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty, but only scant details are known about his life. In the 4th century BC, Yang-Tzu gave Taoism a markedly individualistic tone, which inspired Chuang-Tzu to write, in the ensuing century, beautiful philosophical stories.
Taoism was steadily gaining ground when the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) came to rule in Ancient China, but this dynasty exemplifies, in some cases, the opposite of Taoism.
Instead of relying on the Tao, Qin Shi Huang wanted to rule through arbitrary impositions. He ordered books to be burned, but it was all to no avail. The ideas of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu kept spreading and gaining momentum.
At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, in the year 184 BC to be precise, there was a rebellion in China, partly based on Taoist ideals, and partly based on apocalyptic convictions that are anathema to Taoism. The rebellion proved short-lived and, in the long term, it had no impact on Taoism’s appeal.
Since then, Taoism has kept gaining in popularity, drawing its practitioners to a harmonious, balanced lifestyle, one that constitutes the opposite of Socrates’ lifestyle.
In his work “Apology,” Plato made a passionate defence of Socrates’ life and philosophy, but when confronted with those, Taoists are quick to point out that, while Socrates was forced to commit suicide, Lao-Tzu succeeded in escaping and building a happy life elsewhere.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”