Decoding Dao: Reading the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) and the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) [Hardcover]

Written by a leading authority on Chinese philosophy, Decoding Dao uniquely focuses on the core texts in Daoist philosophy, providing readers with a user-friendly introduction that unravels the complexities of these seminal volumes.

• Offers a detailed introduction to the core texts in Daoist philosophy, the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi, two of the most widely read  and most challenging  texts in Chinas long literary history
• Covers the three main ways the texts can be read: as religious, mystical, and philosophical works
• Explores their historical context, origins, authorship, and the reasons these seminal texts came into being, along with the key terms and approaches they take
• Examines the core philosophical arguments made in the texts, as well as the many ways in which they have been interpreted, both in China itself and in the West
• Provides readers with an?unrivalled insight into the multifaceted philosophy of Daoism  and the principles underlying much of Chinese culture  informed by the very latest academic scholarship

Book Notes x

Chronology xi

Section One: The Context

Chapter One The Social and Political Background ConfucianismMozi and Mohism (Moe-ds) and (Moe-ism)Yang Zhu and Shen Dao (Ya-ahng, Jew) Language and LogiciansTrends During the Warring States EraCultural Heroes and ConceptsSummary 3

Section Two: Authors and Texts

Chapter Two The Dao De JingWhy Does the Dao De Jing/Tao Te Ching/Laozi/Lao Tzu Have So Many Names? Dao De Jing, The AuthorDao De Jing, the TextThe Dao De Jing, the Style of the TextThe Dao De Jing in the West Thl3a