Practice:Tao Philosophy

The Logic of Tao Philosophy Wayne L. Wang ABSTRACT Historical commentaries on the Tao Te Ching have indeed blurred the basic logic of Tao  philosophy, to the extent that Tao Philosophy has become an inexplicable “ancient thought.” This article extracts a well-defined “logic of Tao philosophy” from the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching. The logic shows that the description of Tao by Lao-tzu is not “fuzzy and indeterminate,” but can fully reflect the authentic characteristics of Tao. Lao-tzu clearly delineated the “One-and-Many“ relationship between Heng Tao (恆道) and its manifestations (Heng Wu 恆無 and Heng Yu 恆有), and the logical relationship between Wu 無and Yu 有 and the manifestations. The author calls this relationship the Principle of Oneness. This logical model regards “Heng (恆)” as a keyword in Tao Philosophy, and shows the complete symmetry between Wu and Yu. This negates the traditional view that “Yu comes from Wu” (有生於無). This model conforms to the spirit of modern sciences and also Plato’s Theory of Forms. This is a major breakthrough in Tao philosophy, and puts Tao philosophy on an equal status with the Pre-Socratic and the Buddhist philosophy. We may thus establish a logical Tao Philosophy.

KEYWORDS: Logic of Tao Philosophy, The Principle of Oneness, One and Many, the First Chapter of the Tao Te Ching, Process Philosophy, The Theory of Forms, The Doctrine of Two Truths.

道家哲學的邏輯 王文隆

《中文摘要》

歷史上對《道德經》的注釋確實模糊了道家的基本邏輯，使「道家哲學」成為一個無法伸述的「古代思想」. 這論文從《道德經》的首章中找出一個明確的「道家邏輯」，說明老子對「道」的描述並非「糢糊不定」，而是要充分表示出「道」的真實特徵. 老子清楚地描述「恆道」與「恆無、恆有」之間的「一與多」的關係，以及用「無、有」物象語言描述真實顯象「恆無、恆有」所需要的邏輯關係. 筆者稱這個關係為「恆一原則」. 這個邏輯模型以「恆」為「道家」的關鍵詞，而顯出「有、無」的完全對稱性，而非是傳統「有生於無」的邏輯. 這個邏輯符合「科學」和柏拉圖「形相理論」的精神. 這是道家哲學的重大突破，也因此使道家能和古希臘、佛家哲學、和現代西方哲學有一個溝通的橋樑. 我們也因此可以建立一個合邏輯的道家哲學.

關鍵詞: 道家邏輯、恆一原則、一與多、《老子》的首章、歷程哲學、形相理論、二諦論.