Laozi opposed the culture of the ruling class in ancient China. He believed that this culture, by establishing hypocritical moral concepts, conflicted with regular social phenomena—that is, with the Dao of Heaven. In his view, such culture contradicted the natural order and the principles of the Heavenly Dao.
If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.
Those three methods (of government)
Thought olden ways in elegance did fail
And made these names their want of worth to veil;
But simple views, and courses plain and true
Would selfish ends and many lusts eschew.
By abandoning artificial intellect, the people will gain a hundredfold greater benefits; by ridding themselves of prescriptive benevolence and forced justice, the people will reclaim their innate filial devotion and loving nature; by eliminating cunning and materialistic pursuits, thieves and bandits will vanish.
These three concepts—wisdom/intellect, benevolence/justice, and cunning/material interest—are nothing but superficial ornaments.
As principles for addressing social ills, they prove inadequate. Thus, it is necessary to guide human consciousness toward preserving a pure and simple nature, reduce selfish desires and mental distractions, and reject hollow norms of wisdom and rituals to free oneself from anxieties.
Laozi’s proposed solution is:
- Replace superficial wisdom and contrived intellect with essential purity and authentic nature ;
- Diminish selfishness and desires to attain true benevolence and justice ;
- Master genuine knowledge to resist temptation from cunning schemes or material interests.
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