Philosophy › Section I · Normative moral theory › Topic I.5
Daoism as an ethical theory
Daoism looks like an odd candidate for an ethical theory, since it attacks moral rules, praise of virtue and striving itself. Yet the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi offer a sustained account of how to live and govern well, and that account can be stated, applied and criticised like any other.
In this topic
- An ethics that distrusts morality
- The critique of conventional virtue
- De, ziran and the uncarved block
- Wu wei and its paradox
- The ethics of water
- Governing by not governing
- Zhuangzi: perspective and uselessness
- Worked example: the thief problem
- Worked example: the pushy parent
- Objections
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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