Abstract
This paper is a response paper to Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" and discusses how following the Way is like not following the way and vice versa.

From the Paper
"Lao Tzu who is credited with writing the "Tao Te Ching" was trying to come at the idea of right conduct in the opposite direction from Confucius. Where Confucius was using external right conduct to teach a thoughtful and correct internal attitude, Lao Tzu seems to be using an internalized way of being referred to as the Way to teach right conduct, be it external or not. Yet, like Confucius, what is being sought by the Tao Te Ching..."

Tags:Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu

Abstract
A comparison/contrast of the mystical thought of Lao-Tzu with the practical, materialist thought of Machiavelli and how Lao-Tzu comprehends both material and mystical experience whereas Machiavelli tends to be more direct and pragmatic about successful regimes.

From the Paper
"The big picture of the thought of Lao-Tzu is that it presents a metaphysics that verges on the mystical, and the big picture of the thought of Machiavelli is that it is profoundly materialist in its focus on practical matters of state. So different are these pictures that it may seem a fool's errand to arrive at a coherent comparative discussion. Yet the texts of Lao-Tzu, for all their mystical sensibility, also manage to suggest an account of material experience and Machiavelli's main texts address issues..."

Tags:materialism, metaphysics, statecraft, mysticism, yin & yang, Tao

Abstract
Martin Luther King of the modern United States and Lao-Tzu of ancient China were two great philosophers whose great differences stemmed from their core beliefs. The paper shows that Lao-Tzu believed that the way for humankind to achieve happiness was to connect fully with nature and to not try to control everyday events. It shows, in comparison, that Martin Luther King believed that humankind should confront evil and correct the wrongs of the world.

From the Paper
"King's philosophy was more in line with that of Confucius, who believed that people must make a social difference. However, Lao-Tzu's approach to "do nothing" was not the same as King's approach to "do nothing" when demonstrators were attacked. Lao-Tzu's view was mystical. He would have recognized that while Martin Luther's King's approach may have appeared to be "doing nothing" at first, actually it was the final action of an elaborate plan designed to make a very big social difference. It started with King's followers educating the activists very careful about the philosophy of non-violence. They planned where they would demonstrate, and when. They planned what they would wear and exactly what they would do when they "did nothing.""

Tags:Confucius, Taoism, Negroes

Abstract
This paper compares the works of Plato, Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu.

Tags:PHILOSOPHY / COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY, thought processes plato

Abstract
In this paper, the writer shows how Plato and Lao-tzu both display similarities within their theme of enlightenment and political success and the modern day influence of their works. However, the methods of dialogue and poetry to present their writings helps to maintain their philosophical uniqueness.

From the Paper
"Philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct . Plato, a Greek writer and teacher, is thought to be one of the most influential thinkers in Western philosophy. In his work, "The Allegory of the Cave," he discusses politics and perception within a symbolic narrative. Lao-tzu's "Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching," is another document containing philosophical ideology, focusing on government and moral behavior. Both Plato and Lao-tzu display similarities within their theme and their influence in the modern world; however, one distinct variation they possess is the method in which their material is presented."

Tags:allegory, ching, philosophy, republic, tao, taoism, te, enlightenment, journey, influence, poetry

Abstract
This paper discusses how in Machiavelli's "The Qualities of the Prince", there is a discerning and often brutal humanism on the realities of governing that involve self preservation as one of the traits for effective rulership. The paper then discusses how in contrast to this, Lao Tzu defines a more religiously spiritual and abstract form of governing that provides the hope of greater government without strife and conflict.

Tags:tzu, government, machiavelli

From the Paper
" This study will describe Chuang Tzu's approach to the realization of spiritual truth, as explored in his Basic Writings. The study will also consider similarities in teaching methods and concepts between Chuang Tzu and Zen in China, insofar as we can discern Zen as being represented in Arthur Waley's The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought. Strictly speaking, Zen in China is addressed indirectly in Waley's work, but this study will treat the ideas of Lao Tzu, which Waley primarily deals with, as parallel to Zen concepts and attitudes.

As we read in Burton Watson's Introduction to Chuang Tzu's work, "The central theme of the Chuang Tzu may be summed up in a single word: freedom. Essentially, all the philosophers of ancient China addressed themselves to the same problem: how is.."

From the Paper
"This study will examine Taoism in terms of the impact of that religion of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. The study will compare these two men's philosophies and ideas as they relate to Taoism, and will explore the implications of their thoughts for governing oneself and others. Also included will be the consideration of the relationship of their approaches and contemporary counterculture.

A comparison with the conformity of Confucianism shows the non-conformity to be a clear reflection of contemporary counterculture. The latter rejects the traditional culture just as Taoism rejects Confucianism. It is no surprise, then, to find the contemporary counterculture leaning toward Taoist thought, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu in its attempts to find an alternative world view and a fresh, radical, individualized and more ..."

From the Paper
" Human beings have from the beginning tried to discover the relationship between themselves and the universe in which they live. They noted the life cycle of birth, life, and death and wondered if there was something more beyond, and this a question that has been addressed by religion and philosophy ever since. Taoism as represented by the writings of Lao-Tzu and Idealism as represented by Plato differ in certain key aspects of how the world is viewed, how human beings are thought to relate to that world, and so the philosophy developed by each writer. Lao-Tzu is a pantheistic thinker and views the human being as one with the universe. Plato, like most Western philosophers, sees a dualism between man and nature and within man himself, separating mind and body. Plato is even more of a dualist in that he sees this world as a reflection of an ideal world existing on some.."

Abstract
This paper explains that the rickshaw is a symbol of what is wrong with Chinese society and how it allows good men such as Hsiang Tzu, the protagonist in "Rickshaw" by Lao She, to evolve into pathetic survivors, who litter the streets and die meaningless deaths. he author points out that the rickshaws appear throughout the story; in fact, they could be considered other characters in the story because they are so important to the rickshaw drivers' lives. The paper states that owning your own rickshaw is a symbol of status in the rickshaw community. It symbolizes how hard the driver has worked to earn the money to pay for a new rickshaw and the driver's freedom from those who rent rickshaws to drivers; therefore, the rickshaw itself is a symbol of freedom and hope.

From the Paper
"To the drivers, the rickshaws are their lives (Lao 12), and so, they take on special significance as the story continues. When Tzu loses his rickshaw, his life takes another turn, for the rickshaw is his livelihood as well as his hope for the future, and he must start all over again on his quest for success. The rickshaw takes on special significance when the reader understands that the rickshaw could make the difference between life and death to its driver. Rickshaws are in fact the story, for the story would not exist without them. They symbolize freedom, but in Tzu's case, they also symbolize bondage, because as he works and works to buy his own rickshaws, he has no life other than work, and no desires other than the elusive rickshaw."

Tags:symbol, own, survivors, death, character