Journal of East China Normal University (Philosoph ›› 2013, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (3): 67-73.

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Three Kinds of Discourse of Daoist Liberalism

CAI Zhi-dong   

  • Online:2013-05-15 Published:2013-05-24
  • Contact: CAI Zhi-dong
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Abstract: Daoist liberalism has obviously been an intellectual tendency in China’s society since the 20th century. To foster liberalism in the cultural soil of traditional Daoism, Daoist liberalism has developed three kinds of discourses: firstly, political liberalism, which put forward an argument from the idea of wuwei in Daoism that the ruling class should control its action on one hand, and respect the political subjectivity of people on the other; secondly, tiandao-liberalism, which equates the idea of tiandao (Dao of Nature) in Daoism with the Western concept of the law of nature; thirdly, a comprehensive liberalism based on spiritual freedom stressed by Zhangzi and other philosophers of Daoism, which helps to solve the weakness of political literalism in the construction of spiritual world. Which insights and blind spots are included in these arguments? Is Daoist liberalism possible? This thesis tries to answer these questions.