The Tao, which others may call Natural Law or Traditional…
““The Tao, which others may call Natural Law or Traditional Morality or the First Principles of Practical Reason or the First Platitudes, is not one among a series of possible systems of value. It is the sole source of all value judgments. If it is rejected, all value is rejected. If any value is retained, it is retained. The effort to refute it and raise a new system of value in its place is self-contradictory. There has never been, and never will be, a radically new judgment of value in the history of the world. What purport to be new systems or…ideologies…all consist of fragments from the Tao itself, arbitrarily wrenched from their context in the whole and then swollen to madness in their isolation, yet still owing to the Tao and to it alone such validity as they posses.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The Tao, or ultimate moral law, is the single source of all value; any new system that claims originality is merely a fragment of it, taken out of context.
In simple terms: All true value comes from one ultimate moral law; new ideologies are just parts of it.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the underlying unity of moral truth.
Themes
ethics
philosophy
truth
unity
authority
Mood
thoughtful
critical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
analytical
reflective
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- personal decision making
- education curriculum development
- legal reasoning
Key Concepts
metaphysics
natural law
moral absolutism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify the underlying moral principle in a new ideology?
- Can societies create new values without contradicting the Tao?
A Different Perspective
It may oversimplify cultural diversity and the evolution of moral thought.