Laozi's cosmology of Tao points out that Tao is the total source of all life, and Tao has the eternal power to nourish all things without being nourished. Although it is still in the stage of "origin theory", it is a qualitative leap compared with "creationism" and has a higher level of philosophical abstract thinking than "five elements theory", which can be said to mark the highest level of human understanding of the world at that time. ?

"Tao" in Laozi's philosophy is not only the origin of all things and the noumenon of the objective world, but also the source of value and the highest value measure of the world where people live. It is not only the object of human knowledge, but also the object of belief. Laozi's "Tao" is not only an objective truth, but also the highest realm of life, so it should be respected.

As a philosophical term, "Tao" was first put forward by Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period. What is Tao has puzzled people for more than 2500 years, and The Classic of Tao Te Ching was crowned as metaphysics.

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Laozi's thought has a far-reaching influence on the development of China's philosophy, and its ideological core is simple dialectics. Politically, Laozi advocates the rule of inaction and the teaching of words. Politically, Lao Tzu pays attention to the truth that extremes meet. In terms of self-cultivation, Laozi is the ancestor of Taoist double cultivation, paying attention to modest and upright practice and not competing with others.

"Tao" is the highest category of Laozi, and "inaction" is the core idea of Laozi. Everything is born of Tao, and radiates from "inaction" at four seasons. On the social and political view, Laozi advocated governing by doing nothing, "I do nothing for the people" and "governing a big country is like cooking small fresh vegetables", which painted a picture of an ideal country with few people in a small country. Laozi advocated that "quietness is the right thing in the world", so Sima Tan's "Six Essentials" praised the family as "nothing-oriented".

From the bamboo slips of Guodian to Mawangdui's books, we can see that the later school opposed Confucianism, advocated "abandoning benevolence and righteousness" and pointed its edge at the core thought of Confucianism. The political thought of governing by doing nothing is quite enlightening to the dynasties from chaos to governance at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the most successful example should be the century in the early Western Han Dynasty.

Baidu encyclopedia-Laozi

Baidu Encyclopedia —— Laozi's Taoist Theory