A Philosophy For All: An Analysis of the Tao
There is no single definition of Taoism in the Tao de Ching. The reader
realizes that she will not find one in the text after seeing the first sentence.
By saying that whatever can be described of the Tao is not the true Tao, its
author, Lao-tzu, establishes his first premise: the Tao is a force beyond human
explanation. However this assumption does not mean that he can't attempt to
describe it. Using the literary tools of contradiction, parallel structure, and
metaphor, Lao-tzu discusses the Tao in language regular people can understand.
Contradiction
In the beginning the Tao gave birth to both good and evil (Ch 5) and along with
that came all of the other pairs. In Chapter 36 Lao-tzu discusses action and
reaction,
"If you want to shrink something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given."
This excerpt ties into the statement in Chapter 30 that "for every
force there is a counter force" which is applicable to political situations.
For example, if a ruler noticed an uprising of disgruntled subjects, it would be
wise of her to let them organize, or expand, and state their grievances as a
whole before she individually addressed their complaints.
Lao-tzu also uses contradiction in Ch 22,
"If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to beco ...