Lao-Tzu
Lao Tzu - lou dzə, fl. 6th cent. b.c., Chinese philosopher, reputedly the founder of Taoism. It is uncertain that Lao Tzu [Ch.,=old person or old philosopher] is historical. His biography in Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Records of the Historian (1st cent. b.c.) says he was a contemporary of Confucius and served as curator of the dynastic archives until retiring to the mythical Read More...
Lao Tzu - lou dzə, fl. 6th cent. b.c., Chinese philosopher, reputedly the founder of Taoism. It is uncertain that Lao Tzu [Ch.,=old person or old philosopher] is historical. His biography in Ssu-ma Ch'ien's Records of the Historian (1st cent. b.c.) says he was a contemporary of Confucius and served as curator of the dynastic archives until retiring to the mythical K'un-lun mountains. He allegedly transmitted his teachings to a border guard who subsequently compiled the Lao Tzu, also titled the Tao-te ching [Classic of the Way and Virtue]. Scholars date the work in the 4th–2d cent. b.c., with some strata perhaps as old as the 6th cent. b.c. Its parables and verse, written in incantatory language, advocate passive and intuitive behavior in natural harmony with the Tao, a cosmic unity underlying all phenomena. It emphasizes the value of wu-wei, "nonstriving" or "non-[purposeful ]action," by which one returns to a primitive state closer to the Tao, a stage of creative possibility symbolized by the child or an uncarved block. It also promotes a laissez-faire approach to government. See translations by J. J. L. Duyvendak (1954), W. Chan (1963), D. C. Lau (1963), S. Mitchell (1988), and V. Mair (1990). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |
16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Lao-Tzu
as selected by Questia School librarians.-
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The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary (Chap. 1 "Date and Authorship of the Tao Te Ching")
by Ellen M. Chen. 276 pgs.
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The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought ("Authorship in Early China, and the Relation of the Lao Tan Legend to the 'Tao Te Ching'" begins on p. 101)
by Arthur Waley. 266 pgs.
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Philosophers and Religious Leaders ("Lao-Tzu: Founder of Taoism, c. 570-490 B.C.E." begins on p. 113)
by Christian D. von Dehsen. 248 pgs.
How did Elijah Muhammad's establishment of the Nation of Islam affect the civil rights movement in the United States? Philosophers and Religious Leaders answers that question and others as it presents 200 leaders whose lives and work have greatly influenced the world we live in today. Profiles include: Muhammad Abduh--architect of Islamic modernism. Mary Daly-- influential feminist theologian and philosopher. Mary Baker Eddy--founder of Christian Science. Mencius (Meng K'o)--Confucian moral philosopher and interpreter. Shang Yang--Chinese philosopher of legalist school.