compassion vs. coercion
…coercion, [[Escalation|all of which backfire]], inevitably if not immediately. [[Taoism]] and the _Tao Te Ching_ in particular advocate for [[wu…
Contents
The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao.
—The Tao Te Ching, first line
The Tao (“the way”) is the flow of the universe, a unifying oneness that in systems thinking might be considered the system of all systems. Taoism advocates for wu wei or effortlessness, the principle of aligning ones actions with the Tao, rather than fighting it. From a systems perspective I see parallels with Donella Meadows’ “dancing with systems,” in which she advises working within a system to understand it before intervening in the system, in order to avoid making things worse.
A key concept from Taoism is interdependence.
Philosophers
Mentions
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interdependence
…Interdependence (sometimes called "mutual arising") in [[Taoism]] refers to things or concepts that cannot exist without each…
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Change management
…and cannot be made to work. And [[wu wei]] in [[Taoism]] in that when you go against the way of things…
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wu wei
…a concept in Chinese philosophy and at the heart of [[Taoism]] for not forcing your way through an obstacle, but instead…
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trickster
…a long tradition, is a prerequisite of art. Akin to [[Taoism]], trickster learns the way of things, and uses that knowledge…
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zen
…A school of [[Buddhism]] deeply influenced by [[Taoism]], Zen originated in China (where it was called _chan_) and…