Daoism

Lesson: Daoism, Dao, and Metaphor

by Ian James Kidd (University of Nottingham)

Daoism is the philosophy of the Way (dao), but an immediate problem is that, as the famous opening lines of the Daodejing tells us, dao ‘cannot be spoken of’. Although the early Daoists offer us different arguments about why dao is ineffable, they agree that… Read More »Lesson: Daoism, Dao, and Metaphor

Unit: Care of the Dead

by Amy Olberding (University of Oklahoma)

The early Chinese philosophers argued heatedly about how to care for the dead. In this unit, three of the most distinctive views of the period are presented. These can be treated together but also easily break apart for smaller lessons or units with other materials.