from Verse Eighty-OneThose who let go of the Way and trust intelligence are in peril; those who neglect calculation in favor of talent are thwarted. So keep to your lot and follow reason, and you won't be grieved by loss or overjoyed by gain.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
I think this passage better explains what often appears as Lao Tzu's anti-intellectualism. It is not that intellectual pursuits are bad in and of themselves; it is more that intellectualism without the Way lacks the centering quality that keeps us grounded.
Learning is what potentially can bring each of us certain measures of wisdom. As we mature and venture through this life, we find out about ourselves and the world around us through trial and error. Much of this learning occurs through experience, but a not insignificant amount can also be gained through book learning and conceptualization.
In fact, if Lao Tzu truly believed that all intellectual pursuits were adverse to the Way, he never would have written the Tao Te Ching!
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Learning is what potentially can bring each of us certain measures of wisdom. As we mature and venture through this life, we find out about ourselves and the world around us through trial and error. Much of this learning occurs through experience, but a not insignificant amount can also be gained through book learning and conceptualization.
In fact, if Lao Tzu truly believed that all intellectual pursuits were adverse to the Way, he never would have written the Tao Te Ching!
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
There is nothing intellectual in the tao te ching.
ReplyDeleteLao Tzu could write, it would appear. That really doesn't enter into the realms of intellect. There are still five year olds who can write.
I have often thought the tao te ching was part wisdom, because Lao Tzu couldn't help but display that, and part joke. His main interest was in getting past the gate guard, and so he did what he had to do to secure that goal.
I am beginning to think the internet is a really good medium for those interested in committing intellectual suicide.
Lao Tzu most likely didn't exist and, even if did, he didn't write any or all of the TTC. So, I find it difficult to wrap my head around the idea that a mythic figure wrote a serious treatise that also was an inside joke.
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