Taoism (pronounced “Daoism”) is a 2,500 year-old philosophical and religious tradition that originated in ancient China.

In this lesson, we will study the history of philosophical (also called “original”) Taoism, its major figures, and take a short dip into its mystical waters, discussing the core tenets of the philosophy based on brief excerpts from its main texts.

The format of this class will be a PowerPoint presentation, supplemented with video and voice from me and voice- and text-based discussion from all of you!

At the end of this lesson, I hope all attendees will have a greater knowledge of and appreciation for this fascinating view of the world and be able to identify its main principles.

This class will likely run about one hour.

Below is the reading for the class (not necessary to read it beforehand, but might help with discussion and comprehension):
Readings From Taoism

Currently, no extra sessions in this course have been planned. However, if there is enough interest, I will schedule additional lessons that grant a more in-depth look into Taoism, including:

—Reading excerpts and discussing themes and subjects in the “Tao Te Ching”
—Reading excerpts and discussing themes and subjects in the “Chuang-Tse”
—Taking a comparative look at Taoism
—Discussing the religious aspects of Taoism that sprung from the philosophical ones, and Taoism’s contemporary position in Chinese and world culture

Please send me a message if you’d be interested in seeing these classes on eduFire!

No prior knowledge of Taoism nor philosophy in general is necessary, and I encourage all with an interest to attend!