In previous essays I have criticised Nietzsche for separating from Hegel's 'Dualistic-Dialectic Philsophy' after Nietzsche's creatively brilliant first book -- 'The Birth of Tragedy (BT)' -- took 'Hegelian Dialectic Thinking' to a higher evolutionary plateau, combining Hegel's dialectic philosophy with the human drama, passion, and the beginning of 'dialectic-humanistic-existentialism' as Nietzsche traced back to the pre-Socratic writings of Homer, Greek theatre, and other ancient renditions of Greek Tragedy -- brought up to date 'dialectically analyzed' by Nietzsche.
The 'ripeness' of Nietzsche's 'new and old philosophical fruit' -- the product of a cross fertilization of early Greek dualistic-dialectic philosophy (Apollo vs. Dionysus) and later Hegelian dualistic-dialectic thinking (thesis, anti-thesis, synthesis) was so 'nutritional' that the 'intellectual and humanistic-existential value' of this cross-fertilized fruit is still exploding off the BT fruit tree some 200 years later, first through the work of Freud and Jung in the early 1900s, right up into the 21st century through the work of others and through the work of DGB Philosophy-Psychology-Politics-Religion-Science-Medicine...still evolving in 2009.
Indeed, it is partly too bad that Nietzshe ventured away from BT or he could have almost 'created' Psychoanalysis himself. Indeed, in this one little book -- BT -- Nietzsche almost did create Psychoanalysis. The details just needed to be filled out a bit more through Freud and Jung in their clinical and theoretical work to soon come...BT, in my opinion, remains a much overlooked piece of work in terms of its mega-influence on Freud, Jung, and eventually Perls and Gestalt Therapy. BT was the 'integrative bridge' between Greek Tragedy, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Freud.
But what happened is what happened -- a matter of Nietzsche's only personal and philosophical evolutionary development -- and Nietzsche had other 'fruit to grow off different trees'. Nietsche's later 'Will to Power' Theory, his 'Cliff, Abyss, and Tightrope' Theory relative to 'Being and Becoming', and his 'Superman' Theory would do much to lay the groundwork for Heidegger, Sartre, and 20th Century Humanistic-Existentialism. In this regard, Hegel once again led the way in the evolution of 19th and 20th century Humanistic-Existentialism with his theories of 'The Master-Slave Relationship' and 'Alienation' (to be jumped on by Marx) and then Kierkegaard in his rebellion against 'Hegel's 'Absolute' Abstactionism and Universalism' with his own counter-philosophy of 'Existential Concretism' (albeit Kierkegaard could and did write very abstractly as well). Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche all had a hugely important impact on the growth of 19th, 20th, and even 21st century philosophy -- and all of their ideas sprang from arguably the most important philosophical work in Western history -- Hegel's 'The Phenomenology of Spirit' (1807). Even Darwin's later 19th century work in biology and evolutionary theory can be seen -- directly or indirectly -- to have a Hegelian foundation.
And if we really want to fully understand that Hegel's dualistic-dialectic philosophy did not just 'spring out of nowhere', then we must give proper credit to the previous German Idealistic philosophical work of all three of Kant, Fichte, and Schelling -- and furthermore, we need to go right back to the very philosophical roots that Nietzsche did -- back to the roots of Greek -- and all -- mythology, back to the mythological 'dualism' of 'Apollo' vs. 'Dionysus', back to the second oldest philosopher in Western history -- Anaxamander -- and his patriarchal 'power and conquest dialectic theory'; and also back to Anaxamander's indirect student -- Heraclitus -- and the latter's more 'matriarchal philosophy' -- a philosophy of 'opposite things, opposite processes, opposite ideas all coming together 'for the good of the whole dialectic-democratic harmony'.
However, perhaps the most important 'dialectic connection' to be made in the history of dialectic philosophy is the one I am just about to make now. I have been searching on the internet for an answer to a question that needed to take me into the deepest depths of Chinese philosophy -- or at least as deep as anyone else on the internet could take me.
My question that I started asking myself about 2006-2007 (I will have to check my Gap-DGB archives on the internet here to see what date I first publicly asked, and tried to answer, this question in one of my first introductory essays in 'Hegel's Hotel: DGB Philosophy'.
The question I asked myself directly or indirectly was basically this one: Where did the Chinese philosophical concepts and symbols of 'yin' and 'yang' originate from?
I had the symbols traced back to 'The Han Philosophers' -- a group of very important Chinese philosophers who were trying to 'integrate China' back in The Han Dynasty' by 'integrating a number of different important philosophies and philosophers' who had greatly influenced the evolution of China -- before and until 'The Ch'in Dynasty, a totalitarian Chinese government that existed from 221-207BC -- did much to start tearing the philosophical foundations, and the spirit, of the Chinese people apart through their totalitarian, anti-humanistic, anti-democratic measures.
Even this following piece from the internet on 'The Han Synthesis' I am reading this morning for the first time. Sometimes -- like now -- I shake my head to realize that not only is my own philosophical work constantly evolving, but so too is the work of other philosophers and writers on the internet, and information that was just not available to me two or three years ago is clearly available now. These following two pieces greatly help the evolution of my own work in Hegel's Hotel here:
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From the internet....
Ancient China: The Han Synthesis
After the disastrous period of totalitarian government during the Ch'in dynasty (221-207 B. C.), the early Han dynasty (207 B.C.-9 A.D.) returned to older forms of imperial government. However, they adopted from the Ch'in the idea of an absolutely central government and spent most of their period in power trying to regain the same level of centrality that the Ch'in and the Legalists had so ruthlessly accomplished. This ideology of central government, along with the Legalists' attempts to standardize Chinese culture and Chinese philosophy, led thinkers of the Han to attempt to unify all the rival schools of Chinese thought and philosophy that had developed over the previous three hundred years. This unification of Chinese into a single coherent system is the most lasting legacy of the Han dynasty. Earlier, the Legalists attempted to standardize Chinese thought by burning the books of rival schools and by making it a capital crime to speak of Confucius, Lao Tzu, or Mo Tzu. The Han thinkers, who thoroughly despised the Legalists and their methods while adopting many of their goals, took a different approach. Rather than reject alternate ways of thinking, they took a syncretic approach and attempted to fuse all the rival schools of thought into a single system. This syncretic project of the early Han is known as the Han synthesis. In many ways it was similar to the larger project of unifying Chinese government.
Chinese Philosophy
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Confucius
Legalism
Mo Tzu
Taoism
The Han philosophers concentrated specifically on the Five Classics, attempting to derive from them, particularly the I ching , or Book of Changes, the principle of the workings of the universe, or Tao. This new theory of the universe they appended to the I ching ; this appendix explains the metaphysical workings of the entire universe. Once the overall workings of the unverse were understood, then every form of thought could be directly related to each other by appealing to the basic principles of the universe.
Chinese Philosophy
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Pre-Confucian China and the Five Classics
The essentials of the Han synthesis are as follows: the universe is run by a single principle, the Tao, or Great Ultimate. This principle is divided into two opposite principles, or two principles which oppose one another in their actions, yin and yang. All the opposites one perceives in the universe can be reduced to one of the opposite forces. In general, these forces are distinguished by their role in producing creation and producing degeneration: yang is the force of creation and yin the force of completion and degeneration. The yin and yang are further differentiated into five material agents, or wu hsing , which both produce one another and overcome one another. All change in the universe can be explained by the workings of yin and yang and the progress of the five material agents as they either produce one another or overcome one another. This is a universal explanatory principle. All phenomena can be understood using yin-yang and the five agents: the movements of the stars, the workings of the body, the nature of foods, the qualities of music, the ethical qualities of humans, the progress of time, the operations of government, and even the nature of historical change. All things follow this order so that all things can be related to one another in some way: one can use the stars to determine what kind of policy to pursue in government, for instance.
Chinese Philosophy
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Wu-hsing
Yin/Yang
Since the Han thinkers had come up with a tool to explain historical and political events, the writing of history took off exponentially during the early Han and later. History became more than a repository of good and bad examples of government, as it had for the ancient Chinese, it became the working out of the yin-yang or five agents system as it applied to human affairs. This meant that the writing of history demanded accuracy, that the facts be laid out with great precision and indifference so that the workings of yin-yang could be followed precisely. The Han, then, developed a rigorously factual approach to history at a very early time in Chinese history. In government, the Han thinkers essentially adopted the Legalist attitude that human beings fundamentally behave badly, but they changed the doctrine significantly. The Han thinkers believed that people behaved in a depraved way because they had no choice; economic and social conditions forced them to behave badly. For at heart, all human beings desire only material well-being; in order to make people behave virtuously, the government should make it possible that the ends of virtue (the well-being of others) and the pursuit of individual well-being should be coterminous, that is, material benefits should accrue to virtuous acts (that's one-half of the Legalist formula). The emperor would bring this about through two means. First, the emperor and the government is responsible for setting up conditions in which people can derive material benefit from productive labor; the stress on productivity, of course, is derived from the Legalists and Mo Tzu. Second, the emperor can provide an example. It is the job of the emperor to care for the welfare of his people (Confucianism), yet at the same time, the Emperor should withdraw from active rule (Taoism). How did the Emperor rule then? By providing a living example of benevolence. This model of Chinese government would remain dominant well into the twentieth century.
Chinese Philosophy
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Mo Tzu
China Glossary
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DGB Philosophy...cont'd...
So the final name that I have been looking for in the past two or three years turns out to be not who I thought it was afterall -- Confucious -- but rather a man of equally or even greater real or perhaps mythological importance: Lao Tse, one of the chief philosophical architects of Taoism or Daoism.
Let's read a bit about Lao Tse -- again, information that was not available to me on the internet about 2 or 3 years ago (or at least I couldn't find the complete 'answer to the puzzle' I was looking for back then. It's not that the information wasn't out there -- somewhere. After all, there are millions and millions of 'Taoists' out there who were practising this philosophy thousands of years ago, with ancestors who are still studying and pracising it now.
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From the internet...yin and yang...Taoism (Daoism)...Lao Tse....
Taoism (a.k.a. Daoism)
Western traditions
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The Taoist Ying Yang symbol:
Quotations:
"Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river." Lao Tse.
"Without going out of your door, You can know the ways of the world. Without peeping through your window, you can see the Way of Heaven. The farther you go, The less you know. Thus, the Sage knows without traveling, Sees without looking, And achieves without struggle." Lao Tse.
"Different Chinese philosophers, writing probably in 5-4 centuries B.C., presented some major ideas and a way of life that are nowadays known under the name of Taoism, the way of correspondence between man and the tendency or the course of natural world." Alan Watts, from his book: "Tao: The Watercourse Way."
"We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond." Creed of the Reform Taoist Congregation 1
"For more than two thousand years, Daoism has evolved in close interaction with the other major traditions of China--Confucianism, Buddhism, ethnic creeds, and popular religion--and adapted many of their features. To the present day, Daoism consists of a multiplicity of beliefs and practices, and continues to develop, as it has for the past millennia, through the interaction between differentiation and integration--the move to change in accordance with political, cultural, and economic developments versus the urge to create stability through belief systems, lineage lines, rituals, and myths." From the Amazon.com review of the book "Daoist Identity: History, lineage and ritual.
History of Taoism:
Tao (pronounced "Dow") can be roughly translated into English as path, or the way. It is basically indefinable. It has to be experienced. It "refers to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)" 2
The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius. (Alternative spellings: Lao Tze, Lao Tsu, Lao Tzu, Laozi, Laotze, etc.). He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching (a.k.a. Daodejing). Others believe that he is a mythical character.
Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three great religions of China. With the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty in 1911, state support for Taoism ended. Much of the Taoist heritage was destroyed during the next period of warlordism. After the Communist victory in 1949, religious freedom was severely restricted. "The new government put monks to manual labor, confiscated temples, and plundered treasures. Several million monks were reduced to fewer than 50,000" by 1960. 3 During the cultural revolution in China from 1966 to 1976, much of the remaining Taoist heritage was destroyed. Some religious tolerance has been restored under Deng Xiao-ping from 1982 to the present time.
Taoism currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily centered in Taiwan. About 30,000 Taoists live in North America; 1,720 in Canada (1991 census). Taoism has had a significant impact on North American culture in areas of "acupuncture, herbalism, holistic medicine, meditation and martial arts..." 3
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Taoist concepts, beliefs and practices:
Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through all life.
"The Tao surrounds everyone and therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment." 4
Each believer's goal is to harmonize themselves with the Tao.
Taoism has provided an alternative to the Confucian tradition in China. The two traditions have coexisted in the country, region, and generally within the same individual.
The priesthood views the many gods as manifestations of the one Dao, "which could not be represented as an image or a particular thing." The concept of a personified deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the prayers or to act upon them. They seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer observation.
In contrast with the beliefs and practices of the priesthood, most of the laity have "believed that spirits pervaded nature...The gods in heaven acted like and were treated like the officials in the world of men; worshipping the gods was a kind of rehearsal of attitudes toward secular authorities. On the other hand, the demons and ghosts of hell acted like and were treated like the bullies, outlaws, and threatening strangers in the real world; they were bribed by the people and were ritually arrested by the martial forces of the spirit officials." 3
Time is cyclical, not linear as in Western thinking.
Taoists strongly promote health and vitality.
Five main organs and orifices of the body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and earth.
Each person must nurture the Ch'i (air, breath) that has been given to them.
Development of virtue is one's chief task. The Three Jewels to be sought are compassion, moderation and humility.
Taoists follow the art of "wu wei," which is to let nature take its course. For example, one should allow a river to flow towards the sea unimpeded; do not erect a dam which would interfere with its natural flow.
One should plan in advance and consider carefully each action before making it.
A Taoists is kind to other individuals, in part because such an action tends to be reciprocated.
Taoists believe that "people are compassionate by nature...left to their own devices [they] will show this compassion without expecting a reward." 5
The Yin Yang symbol:
This is a well known Taoist symbol. "It represents the balance of opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray." 4 One source explains that it was derived from astronomical observations which recorded the shadow of the sun throughout a full year. 5 The two swirling shapes inside the symbol give the impression of change -- the only constant factor in the universe. One tradition states that Yin (or Ying; the dark side) represents the breath that formed the earth. Yang (the light side) symbolizes the breath that formed the heavens.
One source states: "The most traditional view is that 'yin' represents aspects of the feminine: being soft, cool, calm, introspective, and healing... and "yang" the masculine: being hard, hot, energetic, moving, and sometimes aggressive. Another view has the 'yin' representing night and 'yang' day. 5
Another source offers a different definition: A common misconception in the west is that "...yin is soft and passive and yang is hard and energetic. Really it is yang that is soft and yin that is hard, this is because yang is energetic and yin is passive. Yin is like a rock and yang is like water or air, rock is heavy and hard and air is soft and energetic." 8
Allan Watts, describes the yin and yang as negative and positive energy poles: "The ideograms indicate the sunny and shady sides of a hill....They are associated with the masculine and the feminine, the firm and the yielding, the strong and the weak, the light and the dark, the rising and the falling, heaven and earth, and they are even recognized in such everyday matters as cooking as the spicy and the bland." 9,10
However, since nothing in nature is purely black or purely white, the symbol includes a small black spot in the white swirl, and a corresponding white spot in the black swirl.
Ultimately, the 'yin' and 'yang' can symbolize any two polarized forces in nature. Taosts believe that humans often intervene in nature and upset the balance of Yin and Yang.
About the name: Taoism or Daoism:
There are two commonly used systems for translating the Mandarin Chinese language into Roman letters:
Wade-Giles: This system is commonly used in Taiwan and the U.S. The Chinese character for "Way" becomes "Tao," which leads to the English word "Taoism."
Hanyu pinyin or Pinyin: This system was developed by the Chinese people and is now finding increased use worldwide. The "Way" becomes "Dao," which leads to the English word "Daoism." The "Dao" is pronounced like the "Dow" in "Dow-Jones Index."
We have chosen to emphasize the "Taoism" spelling. A Google search for "Taoism" returned 245,000 hits, whereas a search for "Daoism" returned only 35,000.
Tai Chi:
There is a long history of involvement by Taoists in various exercise and movement techniques. 6 Tai chi in particular works on all parts of the body. It "stimulates the central nervous system, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and gently tones muscles without strain. It also enhances digestion, elimination of wastes and the circulation of blood. Moreover, tai chi's rhythmic movements massage the internal organs and improve their functionality." Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that illness is caused by blockages or lack of balance in the body's "chi" (intrinsic energy). Tai Chi is believed to balance this energy flow.
Taoist Texts:
These include:
Tao-te-Ching ("The Way of Power," or "The Book of the Way") is believed to have been written by Lao-Tse. It describes the nature of life, the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his life.
Chuang-tzu (named after its author) contains additional teachings.
Taoist web sites:
Taoist course, books and objects: Lao Tzu and Taoism Revealed: A 40-day course delivered by email. You may learn more about the life and philosophy of Lao Tzu, including the study of Tao Te Ching, and concepts like tao, wu-wei, wu, and more. Register here. More information
The LaoZi Academy in Sydney, Australia, teaches "... the fundamentals and secrets of ancient Daoist life. The Academy delivers clear and concise principles and practice methods used by ancient Daoist masters in the pursuit of health, happiness and longevity many thousands of years ago." See: http://www.laoziacademy.com/
MoreLight.net publishes a number of books from the Taoist canon, including The Primordial Breath, Volumes 1 & 2, and Oneirocritica (The Interpretation of Dreams). See: http://morelight.net/
Mr. Sage's Philosophical Taoist Homepage's intent is to give a more scientific, astro-physics, philosophical, as well as traditional esoteric view on Taoism. See: http://members.aol.com/
Sacred Mountain Press publishes Taoist works. Their "... goal is to make interesting, beautiful, and reliable Taoist information as accessible to the general public as that of any other major religious or spiritual tradition." See: http://www.smpress.com
"Tao Resource" is a web site that imports authentic Taoist products to help people improve their "personal or sacred space, to build a small Taoist shrine or even to construct a large Taoist temple." This site is well worth perusing. It has sections showing altar tables, bells & chimes, jewelry, statuary, personal altars, etc. See http://www.taoresource.com/
Tai Chi: "Is Tai Chi the Ultimate Exercise?," an essay on Tai Chi at:
http://www.utah.edu/
"The International Taoist Tai Chi Society" � is the largest non-profit Tai Chi group in the world. See: http://www.taoist.org
Taoist message board, discussion forum, etc: The "real Tao" message board is a "brand new Taoist Forum" at: http://pub18.ezboard.com/
A Taoist discussion forum named in the spirit of Jack Keroac and the Dharma Bums, is at http://www.TheTaoBums.com It is a "Friendly, active, nonsectarian discussion forum for Taoism, qigong, tai chi, yoga, meditation and much more!"
Taoist web sites: The Center TaoTaoist Thought and Fellowship in Santa Cruz, CA provides monthly meetings and an extensive forum. See: http://www.centertao.org/
Daoist Arts contains essays on Daoist History, Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), Qigong and other Taoist matters. They have a free newsletter. See: http://www.daoistarts.org/
Bill Mason's Taoism Page is at: http://www.taoism.net This web site emphasizes the practical application of the Tao to everyday life.
Maury Merkin, "Daoism in brief," is at: http://www.his.com/ This website offers a brief introduction to Taoism and a glossary of terms.
This website is dedicated to Purist Taoism in the tradition and wisdom of Lao-Tzu.
Jeff Rasmussen's Tao Te Ching web site features an illustrated Tao Te Ching, an introduction to Taoism, and links. See: http://www.symynet.com/
Reform Taoism has an excellent web site which publishes their creed and beliefs on dozens of important topics. See: http://www.reformtaoism.org
" The Taoist Canon: A guide to studies and reference works" at: http://weber.ucsd.edu/
The "Taoism Depot" contains a Taoism discussion forum, live chat and a wide range of resources. See: http://www.edepot.com/
The "Taoism Information Page" is at: http://www.religiousworlds.com/
The "Taoism Depot" contains a Taoism discussion forum, live chat and a wide range of resources. See: http://www.edepot.com/
The Taoism Initiation Page has a great deal of information about Taoism and a Taoism course that leads to initiation. is at: http://www.taopage.org
The Taoist Restoration Society (TRS) is "a U.S. nonprofit corporation dedicated to the rehabilitation and rebirth of China's Taoist tradition." See: http://www.taorestore.org/ Offline as of 2007-AUG-29
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Now -- to use a Freudian metaphor -- 'We have reached the source of The Nile.' (And it is not 'The Oedipal Complex'.)
What I am about to say now should, in my humble or not so humble opinion, be recognized as the greatest integration in the history of Western-Eastern Philosophy.
'Fait-Compli.' If I die tomorrow, I can rest easier in my grave knowing that the three most important foundations, the three most important architectural-philosophical structures or columns of Hegel's Hotel -- are firmly in place today.
As of this moment -- Hegel's Hotel -- in its most basic and firmly entrenched 'triangular structure' is in place, solidly grounded in this 'post-Hegelian' interpretation of Western and Eastern (or at least Chinese) history.
And 'no' -- I'm not talking about the classic 'Hegelian Dialectic Triangle' of 'thesis-antithesis-synthesis'. Hegel deserves full credit for that one. I firmly believe that Hegel's 'The Phenomenology of Spirit' should be viewed as the greatest philosophical work in Western history.
No, the 'philosophical triangle' I am thinking of right now extends even beyond the work of Hegel.
Imagine 'three huge -- indeed, collossal -- architectural columns holding up 'Hegel's Hotel'.
One column goes right up the middle of Ancient Greece. And it starts with, and is held together by, the profoundly important work of: Homer, Anaxamander, and Heraclitus.
The second column of Hegel's Hotel goes right up the middle of China. It starts with, and is held together, by the profoundly important work of; Lao Tzu, Taoism (Daoism), and The Han Synthesis brought together by the Han Philosophers in perhaps the greatest Chinese Dynasty -- the Han Dynasty.
And the third column in Hegel's Hotel goes right up the middle of 18th and 19th century Idealistic Germany. (Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling...)
Who knows? Maybe one day someone might actually think that 'Hegel's Hotel: DGB Philosophy' deserves to make up the final fourth 'cornerstone' in the evolution of Western and Eastern Dialectic Philosophy. If not, I can think of another very worthy recipient of the 'fourth cornerstone'. Darwin.
Now what totally astounds me is how remarkably similar Ancient Greek Dialectic Philosophy (Homer, Anaxamander, Heraclitus...) is to Ancient Chinese Dialectic Philosophy (Lao Tse, Taoism, The Han Philosophers, The Han Synthesis...)
It raises the obvious question: Did these philosophers -- and/or their ancestors -- meet? Along some trading route with not only goods -- but also philosophical ideas being exchanged? Was there a Persian and/or Egyptian connection?
There is one further collosal dialectic influence to be discussed. Both a positive and a negative influence on the philosophy and the history of both Western and Eastern Philosophy.
Marx.
Hegel's 'Left Wing Student Extremist'.
Marx: A combination of 'humanist' and 'ruthless pitbull'.
Marx: A human paradox in motion. How could a man who wanted to save humanity from so much (Capitalist-Alientation)pain end up indirectly causing or influencing the evolution of so much (Communist) pain, destruciton, agony, death and dying? Read: 'The Eastern Sociopathological Threesome: Lenin, Stalin, and Mao tse Tung'.
The history of the Western and Eastern Dialectic has never -- at least to my knowledge except maybe over very limited time periods -- been without: war, famine, conquest, power, revenge, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, armed rebellion, armed squashing of rebellion, torture, death and dying...
I am not speaking -- idealistically.
I am speaking -- historically -- and realistically perhaps pointing to the deepest darkest elements of man's 'righteous-narcissism-greed-egotism-territorialism' Call these characteristics the most pathological elements of a 'patriarchal-authoritarian-philosophical-political-economic' system of government.
This is the 'realistic philosophy of Anaxamander -- Western and Eastern 'power-dialectics'. 'Dialectical Imperialism'. The dialectics of power, authoritarianism, narcissism, greed, revenge, and conquest. This is the worst of a patriarchal system of leadership, govermnent, and law.
In contrast, Heraclitus presented a more 'matriarchal system of philosophy and natural law'. So too did Lao Tse and The Han Philosophers. Although these ancient Eastern philosophers were keenly aware of 'power-dialectics' as well.
What Lao Tse and The Han Philosophers essentially did with the philosophical centralization of the concepts of 'yin' and 'yang' was they successfully integrated masculine (patriarchal) and feminine (matriarchal) philosophy into a dialectic-democratic unified whole system of philosophy.
Patriarcal philosophy, politics and law, business and economics, science and religion, is basically the philosophy of 'power, conquest, imperialism, authoritarianism, unilateralism...the philosophy of the George Bush-led Republicans who to all extents and purposes failed miserably in what they were trying to achieve. In the Bush-led Repubican regime, American Unilateralism led basically to Unilateral Anti-American resentment and hate. 'Unilateralism' always has the 'side effect' of stimulating the resentment, the anger, the rage, the hate -- of 'the dominated and suppressed'. Unilateralism has its roots in imperialism, conquest, and slavery.
But the historical dialectic has once again raised its collective human head and shown it's 'historical-existential quasi-determinism'
Once again, the philosophical, historical, and political dialectic has culminated in the movement from 'thesis' to 'anti-thesis'. From Bush to Obama.
President Obama -- who I fully support in his intent if not in his results -- represents the opposite type of philosophical and political system and one advocated and trumpted right here in Hegel's Hotel for the last three years: 'multi-bi-lateralism'.
Or in DGB Philosophy's most technical jargon -- 'multi-bi-polar-dialectic-democratic-humanistic-existential integration'. That's a very full mouthful. Did you get it? Can you repeat it?
Say after me -- and I will even throw in a bunch of more dialectic words to try to make sure you can't follow me this time: Hegel's Hotel: DGB Philosophy offers you a: 'Multi-Bi-Polar-Pluralistic-Associative-Differential-Abstract-Concrete-Liberal-Conservative-Capitalist-Socialist-Dialectic-Democratic-Humanistic-Existential Integrative Philosophy'. Some of my more dedicated readers may follow what I just said.
Obama's philosophy is -- or is at least trying to be -- a more 'matriarchal' system of philosophy -- meaning he seeks dialectic-democratic negotiation, integration, union, unity, and harmonious balance.
Many have tried before him. Many have failed. Strong narcissitic-righteous-patriarchal forces do not die easy. They die in war.
I have seen Trudeau try this. And basically fail. The Canadian people loved Pierre Trudeau's Romantic-Humanistic-Existential Idealism. So did -- and do I. I see the Nietzschean influence on Trudeau's Romantic-Humanistic-Existential Idealistic Philosophy. He was trying to do good -- to make Canada a more 'multi-cultual, pluralistic country which he at least partly did. Perhaps he didn't see that different cultures from other parts of the world -- brought into Canada -- would 'congregate together in their own pockets of sub-culural communities, mainly cut off and alienated from the other cultures in Canada. But not entirely. A more complete pluralistic cultural integration may still take many more generations to come. People, for the most part, like to stay with what they are 'most familiar and comfortable with'. And mainly, that is their own home-raised culture. Attempts in the past to 'tear Native Indian children out of their homes' and teach them 'Canadian-Europeon Culture' through segregated schools was complete and utter disaster. A dismal cultural failure that still lies on the shoulders of the Canadian Government.
What the Canadian people for the most part hated about Trudeau -- was his economics.
Putting the country into massive debt to 'try to make a better life for the poor in Canadian society'. His intentions were noble. His results were dismal -- economically. His 'socialist' policies put Canada into massive debt. President Obama, are you listening? Go back into the 1970s and determine for yourself what Trudeau did right and wrong. His economics -- 'stunk'.
Brian Mulroney became at least partly the 'anti-thesis' to Trudeau -- the self-styled, Reagan-Republican Canadian version of Adam Smith and Ayn Rand Capitalism. But Mulroney still learned some things from watching Trudeau -- how to put the country into massive debt, even worse so than Trudeau before him. With Mulroney, it was not about 'helping the poor' although he tried his best to 'appease' Liberal and NDP factions in Canadian Society. 'Let's everybody in Canada have their cake and eat it too! Mulroney's idea was to satisfy both the red-blooded Capitalists and the bleeding-heart Liberal-NDP-Socialists in Canada -- and in so doing -- stay in power, and live in The Ivory Tower. He was still looking for the Ivory Tower -- even as he was finally booted out of office for being what the Canadian people eventually knew him to be: a two-faced politician, a manipulator, completely narcissitic, the worst of the worst in terms of 'Sophist Politicians' (meaning you were going to get basically a load of 'philosophical garbage' coming out of his mouth -- idealistic Capitalist-Conservative Ideology masking, just under the surface, narcissistic greed to the hilt and money and perks coming out of his ears (long before the saga of Conrad Black and later AIG hit the eyes and ears of the Canadian and American people alhthough it was probably around the same time period as Conrad Black in his 'hay-day'), and finally, a border-line to full-blooded criminal picking up hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash money in a suit-case from a foreign arms dealer (Schreiber) -- like a street drug dealer; not like the Prime Minister or ex-Prime Minister of your country. Mulroney says 'he regrets' doing that. The case is still not resolved. The latest news is that Harper and the rest of the present Convservatives don't want Mulroney to belong as an 'alumni' to The Conservative Party anymore. I wonder why?
Back to Marx.
Marx's 'dialectic-materialistic philosophy' that only faintly resembled Hegel's 'rational-German-Idealism' I give Marx full-blooded his humanistic-existential credit for his philosophical work on 'alienation' -- just not what came afterwards.
I don't support -- and DGB Philosophy does not support -- Marx's idea of 'armed, violent conflict and rebellion' of the 'proletariat over the bourgeous' (the rich, the corporate owners, the Establishment, the aristocrats...)
This idea basically led to three of the worst totalitarian regimes -- masked as 'Communism' in the combined history of China and Russia. Well, maybe not China because China has had many 'totalitarian-imperialist' regimes. But regardless, the three I am talking about here are unmistakably: Lenin, Stalin, and Mao tse Tung. Very smart men -- all three of them. But ruthless, partly like Marx before them. Only much, much worse. Marx was not a 'psychopath'. Or a 'sociopath'. Lenin, Stalin, and Mao tse Tung -- all were. They used Marxian Ideology to cover their 'ruthless, unilateral-totalitarian-imperialistic intentions'.
We have come full circle.
I have a very scary doctor's appointment. I am already running late (like usual).
We leave Hegel's Hotel for today.
My Dad's birthday tomorrow -- and my girlfriend of almost ten years. It is her birthday too.
Have a good 'dialectic-democratic-humanistic-existential' day!
Live the life of a 'Superman'!
An 'Apollonian-Dionysian Superman'.
Balance your 'yin' and 'yang'!
Cheers!
-- dgb, April 1st, 2009.
