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Philosophical Haiku

Laozi (Pre-Fourth Century BCE)

by Terence Green

Going with the flow
Being at one with nature
The way of the Dao

Laozi, often written Lao Tzu – the name simply means ‘Old Master’ – has the distinction amongst great philosophers of probably never having existed. Still, having an uncertain existence hasn’t prevented his being revered by many as a deity (which is pretty much the case with God). Laozi is reputedly the author of the great text of Daoism, the Dao De Ching or Tao Te Ching (Treatise on the Way and Its Power). Tradition holds that Laozi lived in the sixth century BCE; but it might’ve been the fifth century… or the fourth (it’s a moot point, really, when you’re talking about someone who possibly didn’t live at all).

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