For centuries, the ancient Chinese philosophical text the Daodejing
(Tao Te Ching) has fascinated and frustrated its readers. While it
offers a wealth of rich philosophical insights concerning the
cultivation of one's body and attaining one's proper place within nature
and the cosmos, its teachings and structure can be enigmatic and
obscure.
Hans-Georg Moeller presents a clear and coherent description and
analysis of this vaguely understood Chinese classic. He explores the
recurring images and ideas that shape the work and offers a variety of
useful approaches to understanding and appreciating this canonical text.
Moeller expounds on the core philosophical issues addressed in the
Daodejing, clarifying such crucial concepts as Yin and Yang and Dao
and De. He explains its teachings on a variety of subjects, including
sexuality, ethics, desire, cosmology, human nature, the emotions, time,
death, and the death penalty. The Daodejing also offers a distinctive
ideal of social order and political leadership and presents a philosophy
of war and peace.
An illuminating exploration, The Daodejing is an interesting foil to
the philosophical outlook of Western humanism and contains surprising
parallels between its teachings and nontraditional contemporary
philosophies.
