“We live in a competitive society and are often told that to get ahead we require drive, commitment and determination, that we must expend a great amount of energy and, if necessary, use force to get what we want. A ?survival of the fittest’ mentality is deeply entrenched in our culture.
Much of this thinking comes from Darwin’s Origin of the Species, a work which has influenced us in the most profound and subtle ways, not least of all because it advanced the idea that competition was a natural and normal part of life, that nature was ?red in tooth and claw.’ Whatever we might think about Darwin, we do tend to see the world in these competitive terms.
But there is another way of thinking. There is another way of getting things done, a way which sees nature differently and recognizes the importance of harmony, balance and living peacefully. Taoism is a philosophy which seeks to achieve great things by ?going with the flow.’ The semi-mythical figure Lao Tzu is said to have written the classic Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching. Here are six short quotations from the text which give us advice on the best way to get things done. Much is lost in translation, of course, but you will have some sense of the original.”
(via The Positivity Blog)
September 13, 2008 at 9:58 am
Blame Darwin?
September 14, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Richard Dawkins on blaming Darwin for social darwinism:
“Natural selection is a good object lesson in how NOT to organize a society. As I have often said before, as a scientist I am a passionate Darwinian. But as a citizen and a human being, I want to construct a society which is about as un-Darwinian as we can make it. I approve of looking after the poor (very un-Darwinian). I approve of universal medical care (very un-Darwinian). It is one of the classic philosophical fallacies to derive an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’.”
http://richarddawkins.net/articleComments,2394,Lying-for-Jesus,Richard-Dawkins,page4