|  Was
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who was born as early as 600 B.C., the
world's first libertarian? He very well might have been, according to
libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard.
In an essay in The Journal of Libertarian Studies (Fall 1990),
Rothbard wrote: "The first libertarian intellectual was Lao-tzu,
the founder of Taoism... For Lao-tzu the individual and his happiness
was the key unit and goal of society. If social institutions hampered
the individual's flowering and his happiness, then those institutions
should be reduced or abolished altogether. To the individualist Lao-tzu,
government, with its 'laws and regulations more numerous than the hairs
of an ox,' was a vicious oppressor of the individual, and 'more to be
feared than fierce tigers.'"
Further, Rothbard wrote, Lao Tzu specifically advocated "inaction"
as the proper function of government, "since only inaction can
permit the individual to flourish and achieve happiness. Any intervention
by government, Lao-tzu declared, would be counterproductive, and would
lead to confusion and turmoil. After referring to the common experience
of mankind with government, Lao-tzu came to this incisive conclusion:
'The more artificial taboos and restrictions there are in the world,
the more the people are impoverished.... The more that laws and regulations
are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be.' The
wisest course, then, is to keep the government simple and for it to
take no action, for then the world 'stabilizes itself.' As Lao-tzu put
it, 'Therefore the Sage says: I take no action yet the people transform
themselves, I favor quiescence and the people right themselves, I take
no action and the people enrich themselves....'"
David
Boaz's 1998 book, The Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary
Writings from Lao Tzu to Milton Friedman, contained other quotes
from Lao Tzu, including this anti-tax gem: "The people starve because
those above them eat too much tax-grain. That is the only reason why
they starve. The people are difficult to keep in order because those
above them interfere. That is the only reason why they are so difficult
to keep in order." Boaz also cites this Lao Tzu aphorism: "Without
laws or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony." (Boaz credits
the quotes to Arthur Waley's The Way and Its Power: A Study of the
Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought, with additional
translation work from Kate Xiao Zhou.)
Lao Tzu was reportedly born sometime between 600 and 300 B.C. in what
is today the Henan province of China. His life is shrouded in mystery;
some scholars suggest that he never existed, but was a composite of
several philosophers. And some Chinese legends say he was born with
white hair after spending 80 years in his mother's womb. That legend
accounts for his honorific title, "Lao Tzu," which means "Old
Master" or "Old Child." (His name is also spelled Lao-tzu,
Laozi, Lao-t'zu, and Lao-tse.)
As an adult, Lao Tzu worked as a keeper of archival records in the Imperial
Library of the Zhou Dynasty court. Some accounts suggest that in 501
B.C., he met Confucius, who asked his advice about mourning and funeral
rites. Later, reportedly saddened by the evil ways of men, Lao Tzu set
out on a water buffalo. When he reached the Great Wall of China, a gatekeeper
convinced him to write down his philosophy. The result was Tao-Te
Ching (commonly known as the Classic of the Way and Virtue),
a collection of 81 sayings. Lao Tzu then reportedly disappeared into
the desert.
"Tao" is often translated as "the Way," and refers
to the indefinable order or nature of the universe. Lao Tzu's philosophy,
Taoism, argues that simplicity is the key to truth; that behavior should
be governed by instinct; and that life should be lived with naturalness,
love, respect, and "nonaction." Lao Tzu's concept of wei-wu-wei
-- "action through inaction" -- suggests that people should
avoid determined action and strong will, but, instead, should allow
nature to spontaneously and efficiently guide their behavior. A popular
Lao Tzu aphorism is: "Stop thinking, and end your problems."
Taoism is considered both a philosophy and a religious tradition.
Today, Tao-Te Ching is reportedly the second-most translated
book in the world, after only the Bible. Along with Confucianism and
Buddhism, Taoism is one of the main philosophical influences on modern
Chinese thought.
--
Bill Winter |
