Daoism
Certainly, Confucianism dominated Chinese philosophy for many years.
However, other philosophies before and after Confucianism were also influen-
tial, albeit with different emphases. Daoism is one of the other influential
schools of thinking. The founding father of Daoism, Lao Zi (6th century BC–?)
introduced the idea of yielding to the primordial ways of the universe
(Whiteley et al., 2000). Everything in the universe follows certain patterns and
processes that escape precise definition and imprecisely this is called Dao, the
‘Way’ (McGreal, 1995: 9). In his work entitled Daode Jing(Classic of the Way
and Its Power), Lao Zi claimed that De(virtue) cannot be strived for, but
emerges naturally. The best ‘Way’ to act or think is wuwei(effortless activity).
However, the most important element of Daoism is the ‘Oneness’ and Yin-
Yang.In Lao Zi’s work, he indicated that ‘Daoproduces one. One produces two.
Two produces three. And three produces ten thousand things (i.e. everything).
The ten thousand things carry Yinand embrace Yang. By combining these
forces, harmony is created’ (Daode Jing, Verse 42). These can be understood as
the fundamentals of the universe that contains the polar complements of Yin
and Yang. Yinrepresents the dark, recessive, soft, feminine, low, contractive,
centripetal, short, hollow, empty, and so forth, and Yangrepresents the light,
dominant, hard, masculine, high, expansive, centrifugal, long, full, and solid.
Nothing is ever purely one or the other; rather all things are in flux between
one pole and its opposite (McGreal, 1995: 14).
Deis the second important concept within Daoism. De, usually translated
as ‘virtue’ or ‘power’, is an object’s personal stock of Dao, or, put another way,
it is the natural potential or potency instilled within one. In contrast to
Confucians who refer to Deas a moral term, for Lao Zi Designifies natural abil-
ities that enable things to be their best spontaneously and effortlessly
(McGreal, 1995: 13). Furthermore, Lao Zi argued that once ineffectual Renhas
degenerated into rules, the conditions for conflict, rebellion and repression
have emerged. Since rules advise doing something unnaturally through human
intervention, there will always be someone who will refuse to comply. For a
rule to remain meaningful and not become an empty rule, compliance must be
enforced (McGreal, 1995: 13).
For Lao Zi, balance between the poles does not mean static parity, but a
dynamic reversion that perpetually counterbalances all propensities toward
one extreme or the other. However, the world tends to favour the Yangwhile
ignoring or denigrating the Yin. Daoism aims to rebalance this by emphasising
Yinover Yang. In Daode Jing, Lao Zi claimed: ‘Human beings are born soft and
flexible; when they die they are hard and stiff. Plants arise soft and delicate,
when they die they are withered and dry. Thus, the hard and stiff are disciples
of death; the soft and flexible are disciples of life. An inflexible army is not
victorious; an unbending tree will break’ (Daode Jing, Verse 76). Therefore, Daoism
provides enlightenment for human beings to understand and follow the funda-
mental cycle of the universe.
198 International Human Resource Management