Taoism revolves around a single idea, namely, that it’s better to live in alignment with the Tao. If our actions are misaligned with the Tao, they will produce a negative outcome; and if they are widely misaligned, the outcome might prove very negative.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) lived one and half centuries later than the first Taoist master, Lao-Tzu, but never developed a concept or ideal equivalent to the Tao. Aristotelian philosophy recognizes that entities must operate according to their own nature, but the idea of an overriding element is missing.
The Tao encompasses at the same time nature in general and human nature in particular; the past, the present and the future; natural law and natural rights ;balance and harmony; physics, biology and chemistry; life and death. Such a concept does not exist in Aristotelian philosophy.
In the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu encourages us to align our actions with the Tao, and warns us of the dire consequences of failing to do so. Each chapter of the Tao Te Ching provides, in slightly metaphorical language, a specific prescription.
In the next paragraphs, I summarise the recommendations made by Lao-Tzu for leading a balanced and harmonious life. I am giving, for each recommendation, the references to the Tao Te Ching. When reading the recommendations, we should keep in mind the key Taoist insight of staying aligned with the Tao.
Lao-Tzu’s rejection of artificiality
Taoists reject artificiality in all areas of life. It doesn’t matter if we are referring to artificial relationships, enterprises, food, and social mores. We separate ourselves from the Tao to the extent that we endorse or employ artificiality.
Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching categorizes as “chaos” the outcome of contravening the Tao. In the short term, individuals may get the impression that they can transgress the Tao and get away with it, but it is only a matter of time until the negative consequences catch up with them.
Artificiality is the archetypical transgression of the Tao. The pursuit of artificial constructs will not deliver justice. Artificial relationships won’t generate love and friendship; and artificial enterprises will not attract steady, loyal customers.
The Tao can be ignored temporarily, but in the meantime, small problems will keep growing. Eventually, they will grow so large that they cannot be solved any more. At that point, the Tao will appear overwhelming and revengeful, like Nemesis in Ancient Greek mythology.
Nemesis, an Ancient Greek goddess, was known to severely punish pride and arrogance, that is, artificial behaviour. Hubris will inevitably draw retribution from Nemesis. According to tradition, arrogant people cannot escape her punishment.
Lao-Tzu did not regard the Tao as a person, but as a force of nature. Unlike the Ancient Greek goddess Nemesis, the Tao is not revengeful or vindictive. It’s not emotionally driven, but its punishment for artificial behaviour will prove as harsh as the retribution inflicted by Nemesis.
The Tao Te Ching and nature
The Tao is equivalent to nature and always operates realistically. While religious individuals may expect or demand deities to intervene in human affairs, the Tao does not manifest in the form of miracles. The Tao simply brings about the effect that is called by the situation. In retrospect, the workings of the Tao appear as logical and predictable.
Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching states the perfect alignment between the Tao and nature. It says that humans must obey the Earth, that the Earth obeys Heaven, that Heaven obeys the Tao, and that the Tao obeys nature. In fact, all those concepts can be used interchangeably because they point in the same direction.
In contrast to Aristotelian thinking, Taoists don’t encourage the conquest of nature. Technological progress if fine, provided that it remains aligned with the Tao. A comfortable lifestyle is fine as well, provided that it doesn’t include artificial elements.
In the 3rd century BC, Chuang-Tzu underlined the madness and foolishness of contravening the Tao. Transgressions of the Tao will lead to disaster. Expecting otherwise is as delusional as giving orders to wild animals, expecting that they will obey.
Of course, wild animals will not obey, or maybe they will pretend to do so for a little while if we give them food. As soon as they have devoured the food, they will resume their natural behaviour. Taoists adhere to this principle and won’t waste time on projects that contravene natural law.
Chuang-Tzu and the well-fitting shoes
Taoists vow to align themselves with the Tao in every situation, day in and day out, all the time without exception. In contrast to Aristotelian ethics, which contain certain relativistic elements, Lao-Tzu recommended steady allegiance to the Tao.
The Aristotelian moral treatises, the “Eudemian Ethics” and the “Nicomachean Ethics,” call for embracing the golden mean between extreme behaviours. Justice, from this perspective, is the golden mean between blind tolerance and vindictiveness.
If we want to find the golden mean, we will have to assess the details of the problem at hand, Aristotle explained. Taoism doesn’t contain relativistic elements in its principles, but needs to identify the Tao in each situation.
Lao-Tzu didn’t employ concepts similar to the golden mean. Instead, he encouraged his disciples to absorb Taoist principles until they become automatic; the Tao becomes visible when we train ourselves to perceive it in all situations.
For explaining Taoist virtue, Chuang-Tzu used the metaphor of “shoes that fit so well, that we forget we are wearing them.” Taoists commit themselves to applying the wisdom of Lao-Tzu to every situation, devotedly and automatically, not by making cost-and-benefit calculations.
Aristotelian ethics becomes hard to apply in crisis situations because it requires us to find the golden mean. How can we do that when we need to make immediate decisions? How are we supposed to find the golden mean when we possess incomplete or contradictory information?
It is fair to ask if Aristotle’s ethical prescriptions are not too slow and too theoretical for dealing with urgent problems. Lao-Tzu drew his philosophy from experience and observation, not from logic.
I fear that, if we ignore Lao-Tzu’s recommendations and we fail to align ourselves with the Tao, we might experience what Chuang-Tzu depicted as a man running away from his shadow until he eventually fell flat from exhaustion.
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