Submitted by owlthatissuperb t3_11phjyn in philosophy
Comments
frogandbanjo t1_jbyfcmr wrote
After reading the article, according to Taoist philosophy, we can translate this headline to "The philosophy of Everything, minus some of the things that clearly shouldn't be a part of it because reasons."
That's delightfully illustrative and super helpful. Maybe, just maybe, there's a connection between the rise of all the "nonsense" the author discusses in the second half, and the fact that the first half is so vague that the best - least harmful - option is to do exactly what he wrote a Taoist savant might: read the quasi-maybe-non-definition of Tao, toss the book, and live one's life.
To whatever extent Tao is real and Taoism is legitimate, it'll just take care of itself. It is everything, after all. How does "everything" fail to sort itself out? Even yin and yang are illusions. Don't worry about yang poisoning. You are only very small. Imbalance is just another illusion.
If you would like a test to see whether I have a point, or whether instead I'm simply being smug and contrarian, allow me to offer a tried-and-true one that crosses all cultural boundaries: "Is he in the club, or isn't he?"
I'm not, so you can disregard everything I say. How convenient. How familiar.
Cats_and-Crochet t1_jc0tp5x wrote
I haven't read this work, but the little exposure I did get to Taoism made me think the intent was just the opposite: it's not advice for how to change the way things are/go, it's to adapt to the way they are/go in order to avoid hurting yourself unnecessarily
jpipersson t1_jby1lb0 wrote
This is a really good summary of Taoism from a western perspective. Thanks for the link.
tonicdominant t1_jc0mkag wrote
loved the description of Qi as “the common factor between your respiratory, circulatory, & nervous systems.”
i do some meditation/breath work that i learned from a Taoist book (one of the sex ones, actually, lol) that’s supposed to move Qi around my body. i breathe in, tighten my anus ever so slightly, hold the breath a bit, then let it out and relax my body for 12 heart beats. When i do this, i feel my heart beat all over my body, and a tingly sensation of flow through my arms and legs. i’ve always just thought of it as feeling my blood move around my body.
Blood, oxygen, electrical signals interpreted by my nervous system, Qi—doesn’t really matter what i call it, it feels good, doesn’t hurt me, doesn’t hurt others, and calms me down.
SvetlanaButosky t1_jbz0tf9 wrote
The Tao [Way] that can be told of is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The Named is the mother of all things.
This is the most important thing about Taoism, minus the mythical things.
Its basically the scientific method and accepting the vastness of reality, antithesis to certainty and religion.
The_Fredrik t1_jbzahae wrote
How is it the scientific method?
BernardJOrtcutt t1_jbyaret wrote
Please keep in mind our first commenting rule:
> Read the Post Before You Reply
> Read/listen/watch the posted content, understand and identify the philosophical arguments given, and respond to these substantively. If you have unrelated thoughts or don't wish to read the content, please post your own thread or simply refrain from commenting. Comments which are clearly not in direct response to the posted content may be removed.
This subreddit is not in the business of one-liners, tangential anecdotes, or dank memes. Expect comment threads that break our rules to be removed. Repeated or serious violations of the subreddit rules will result in a ban.
This is a shared account that is only used for notifications. Please do not reply, as your message will go unread.
BestEnemyDevil t1_jc61tr2 wrote
Thank god I learned Taoism from Alan watts lectures, sex magic??? Tf.
xxBURIALxx t1_jbxvy2p wrote
Good article on paraconsistent logic/dialetheism.
Praxis is key to making this philosophy an existential thing, which is the way.