Daoist Eco-Humanism and the Authenticity of Natural Life beyond Deontological Ethics

Abstract

Recently, much work has been put into the scholarly understanding and interpretation of the complexities of the Daoist tradition. This includes a critical exploration of its contribution to contemporary environmental issues. In this paper, the author reflects on the intersection of Daoist humanism and ecology and highlights the theoretical and historical implications associated with the Daoist approach to the environment. These starting points can tell us much about how Daoist philosophical thought can be successfully connected to humanism and the sciences of ecology and the environment. The article points to the possibility of an alternative worldview that can help us, in our limited time and space, nonetheless find the possibility of living some kind of sustainable yet here-and-now moment. In doing so, the author starts from some key questions found in classical texts. Through her analyzes, she examines the potential applicability of classical Daoist thought and practice in China and in the West, both in relation to the modern ecological crisis and to the role and place of human beings within nature and society.