As the ancient Chinese philosophers Laozi and Zhuangzi advocated more than 2,500 years ago, humanity must work to live in harmony with nature to keep the planet green, clean and safe. The call to keep global development balanced while protecting the environment was made a long time ago. Laozi and Zhuangzi are considered the two most important figures in Taoism, and their teachings and writings have largely influenced environmental and ecological development in China as well as other regions.
In this paper, we shall explore how Taoism and ecological ethics can help to reconstruct a more harmonious world.
Taoism in its origins
The Western understanding of Taoism is mainly rooted in the classical philosophical tradition of Laozi and Zhuangzi, found in their teachings and writings. There are two aspects of Taoism, namely, religious and philosophical. For the purpose of this paper, we consider Taoism from both aspects interchangeably.
This article is reserved for paid subscribers. Please subscribe to continue reading this article
Subscribe