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The Philosophy of the Daodejing Kindle Edition
by Hans-Georg Moeller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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.
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Print length
186 pages
Product description
Review
an intriguing rumination upon the 'meaning' of the Daode jing (or Laozi), and upon how 'we'-that is, the postmodern Western intellectual-ought to approach it. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
About the Author
Hans-Georg Moeller is associate professor of philosophy at Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. He is the author of three other books on Daoism, including Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Product details
ASIN : B008O7DCG0
Publisher : Columbia University Press (2 May 2006)
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from other countries
Su_Bei
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating angleReviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2012
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I bought this book purely for its chapter on sex in the Daodejing for an essay I was writing at the time. The book is short, but thorough and to the point; you don't feel it's simply stating the obvious.
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.
Read less
Print length
186 pages
Product description
Review
an intriguing rumination upon the 'meaning' of the Daode jing (or Laozi), and upon how 'we'-that is, the postmodern Western intellectual-ought to approach it. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
About the Author
Hans-Georg Moeller is associate professor of philosophy at Brock University in St. Catharines, Canada. He is the author of three other books on Daoism, including Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Product details
ASIN : B008O7DCG0
Publisher : Columbia University Press (2 May 2006)
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from other countries
Su_Bei
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating angleReviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2012
Verified Purchase
I bought this book purely for its chapter on sex in the Daodejing for an essay I was writing at the time. The book is short, but thorough and to the point; you don't feel it's simply stating the obvious.
Although I think his sexual interpretation of the text is incredibly forced, his perspective is fascinating for anyone familiar with Chinese philosophy or the Daodejing.
Having said this, Moeller compares the text and its philosophical concepts far too frequently with Greek or other Western philosophies, which might be useful for someone not familiar with Chinese philosophy, but seems out of place considering Moeller could have supported his arguments far more effectively with contextually closer philosophies like Confucius or Mencius.
The excessive use of Western philosophical examples does make it seem that Moeller is looking at the Daodejing from a far-removed cultural angle.
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omarali50
4.0 out of 5 stars a must-read for all fans of the Dao DejingReviewed in the United States on 27 September 2017
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Very interesting take on the philosophy of the DaoDejing. You don't have to agree with the author on everything to still learn many many useful things from this book. A must-read for all fans of the Dao..
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Richard L. Rankin
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, this is a whole new way of looking at the text
2 people found this helpfulReport abuse
omarali50
4.0 out of 5 stars a must-read for all fans of the Dao DejingReviewed in the United States on 27 September 2017
Verified Purchase
Very interesting take on the philosophy of the DaoDejing. You don't have to agree with the author on everything to still learn many many useful things from this book. A must-read for all fans of the Dao..
Report abuse
Richard L. Rankin
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, this is a whole new way of looking at the text
Reviewed in the United States on 24 July 2013
The author looks at the book as a text for the elite, aphorisms for governing, rather than the traditional view of it as a mystical text on life in accord with the mysterious Tao and nature.
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The author looks at the book as a text for the elite, aphorisms for governing, rather than the traditional view of it as a mystical text on life in accord with the mysterious Tao and nature.
2 people found this helpfulReport abuse
See all reviews
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The Daodejing was probably the first philosophical Chinese work that I had read, I recall owning the book when I was young and reading it because I found it interesting how someone could say so much with so few words. Not only does Laozi give useful advice for insight but it’s also a great tool for writers. Who Laozi is has been debated by scholars for years, some believe he was an older contemporary of Kongzi ( Confucius), other believe he is a made up characters to represent the various authors whose work was included in The Daodejing.
The topics that are addressed are wide in variety. It touches on politics, ruling and common wisdom. Though most passages have a clear topic, all of them are said in a way that can be interpreted differently by different people.
I found that while I was reading, after finishing the whole passage and thinking it over I went back and picked out the single line from each passage that stuck out or meant the most to me personally. Some stuck out because the meaning seemed more important, or I agreed with the statement and some I picked because I thought they sounded beautiful. Because a lot of the passages rhyme, its fun to read and can be given a rhythm or beat. This makes some of them read like a song and they are all the more beautiful because of it.
A few of my favorite passages are as follows:
“Everyone in the world knows that when the beautiful strives to be beautiful, it is repulsive.” (Chapter 2, page 163)
“To be haughty when wealth and honor come your way is to bring disaster upon yourself.” (Chapter 9, Page 167)
“Hold fast to the Way of old, in order to control what is here today.” (Chapter 14, page 169)
To me, these passages give some of the best advice that can be universally used. Mostly they tell me to be humble and accepting of what I have and to learn from the past to understand the future.
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The topics that are addressed are wide in variety. It touches on politics, ruling and common wisdom. Though most passages have a clear topic, all of them are said in a way that can be interpreted differently by different people.
I found that while I was reading, after finishing the whole passage and thinking it over I went back and picked out the single line from each passage that stuck out or meant the most to me personally. Some stuck out because the meaning seemed more important, or I agreed with the statement and some I picked because I thought they sounded beautiful. Because a lot of the passages rhyme, its fun to read and can be given a rhythm or beat. This makes some of them read like a song and they are all the more beautiful because of it.
A few of my favorite passages are as follows:
“Everyone in the world knows that when the beautiful strives to be beautiful, it is repulsive.” (Chapter 2, page 163)
“To be haughty when wealth and honor come your way is to bring disaster upon yourself.” (Chapter 9, Page 167)
“Hold fast to the Way of old, in order to control what is here today.” (Chapter 14, page 169)
To me, these passages give some of the best advice that can be universally used. Mostly they tell me to be humble and accepting of what I have and to learn from the past to understand the future.
(less)
Jun 08, 2018David Peirce rated it it was amazing
I've read the Daodejing twice through now, with my Western, individualist, consumerist eyes. I approached it as Chinese mysticism and, if I'm honest, as an oracle for wisdom that will get me what I want in life. I was confounded by much of it.
Moeller places the Daodejing in its historical context. Any person reading an ancient text needs to know the historical context. (I'm looking at you, American Christians, but I digress.)
Moeller places the Daodejing in its historical context. Any person reading an ancient text needs to know the historical context. (I'm looking at you, American Christians, but I digress.)
It was written (or perhaps compiled from multiple authors) for educated rulers and elites in ancient China to inform their governance. It was written as an antidote to Confucianism. Throughout Moeller's work, this backdrop informs his interpretation.
More importantly, Moeller provides an interpretive rubric. With the historical and cultural context of its writing in mind, Moeller encourages us to approach the text not as a linear progression of ideas nor as a series of self-contained wisdom-poems. He guides us through the Dao as if it is hypertext, one metaphor or image linking to and relying on the same or similar metaphor in another poem for explanation.
With the interpretive method illustrated, Moeller applies it to the naturalism, sexuality, politics, and other philosophical dimensions of the Dao. It's a fantastic explanation. I'm much richer for having been guided through the text in this manner. In my more mindful moments, I approach the Dao seeking to cultivate wu wei. Moeller's explanations of the valley, water, yin and yang energies, and other teachings in the Dao has made my readings much richer and more peaceful.
This is an academic work. It is dense reading and deserves to be read slowly. I found myself reading passages several times to grasp what Moeller was communicating. It was worth it.
More importantly, Moeller provides an interpretive rubric. With the historical and cultural context of its writing in mind, Moeller encourages us to approach the text not as a linear progression of ideas nor as a series of self-contained wisdom-poems. He guides us through the Dao as if it is hypertext, one metaphor or image linking to and relying on the same or similar metaphor in another poem for explanation.
With the interpretive method illustrated, Moeller applies it to the naturalism, sexuality, politics, and other philosophical dimensions of the Dao. It's a fantastic explanation. I'm much richer for having been guided through the text in this manner. In my more mindful moments, I approach the Dao seeking to cultivate wu wei. Moeller's explanations of the valley, water, yin and yang energies, and other teachings in the Dao has made my readings much richer and more peaceful.
This is an academic work. It is dense reading and deserves to be read slowly. I found myself reading passages several times to grasp what Moeller was communicating. It was worth it.
Truly 5 stars imo, and I will be reading more of Moeller's work. (less)
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