Daoism Materialism

From its reclusive origins, Daoism centralizes itself about “the Dao,” or “the Way,” in which human life must coexist with other life forms, preaching the significance of removing oneself from the temptations of society, quieting the mind in the practice of “wuwei,” and essentially deeming oneself selfless to the acts of nature. Eastern philosophy seems to adopt these praxes, despite their great differences from those accepted in the Western hemisphere, driven by Christianity and the belief that the earth’s purpose entails bending to the use of humans. Though Christianity dominates most of the world today, Daoism offers a distinct alternative, and critique, to Western methods of reasoning, as articulated by Laozi in The Daodejing. Throughout

A name that can be named is not enduring a name.” (1). This signifies that if one can decipher his or her way of life through the medium of language, then his or her lifestyle holds simplistic, materialistic qualities that do not follow the Way. Due to this statement, one can conclude that spoken or written language that has the ability to be easily described maintains mainstream characteristics, hence deeming a societal, constructed impact on one’s life; a fatal flaw to practicing Daoism. Though not directly stated, this establishes criticism to Western civilization, for those individuals place high esteem on their social standing, lexicon, and singular impact on society. This interpretation of language, in the eyes of Daoists, creates a sense of false wisdom, in that one who relies on the power of his or her words cannot achieve true knowledge via his or her actions. Further expressed is this idea in Poem 56, claiming “Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.” (56). Language, in this sense, blinds humanity in seeing the world in its purest form, and in quieting the mind of the categories oration distorts, one may then react to the world as it truly is, without the fetters of language and influence holding them back. Because of virtues such as this, it becomes evident that Daoism is often practiced by those of a solitary nature, for verbal and written communication signify influence from

The wuwei phenomenon brings forth sentiments of non-striving, and not attempting to accomplish a task or fulfill a goal too cumbersome for one to bear. Those procuring the highest sense of wisdom in a Daoist setting, sages, recognize this, as “... the sage takes no action and hence has no failure, does no grasping and hence takes no loss.” (64). Additionally, “the sage dwells in the midst of non-action and practices wordless teaching” (2), further exemplifying how non-action exhibits a complete dissociation of oneself from external forces that hold the potential to hinder one’s true thoughts. Non-action brings about primitive actions in humans, explaining how humans simply are as they are, and intending to change this would impede on embracing one’s truth. As seen through Western civilization, apparently this theory ceases to exist, for their entire way of life sustains itself through accomplishing tasks, and without that notion, their society would plunder, in that their economy, political system, and domestic ideals all base themselves off of attaining success. By neglecting some senses of self-interest, Western society could have carried a more peaceful existence in its early culturization, without overcompensating oneself to obtain extreme objectives set out by society, preventing rigid social barriers between people of