Part one of term paper
There is no single definition of Taoism in the Tao de Ching. The reader realizes that she will not find one in the text after seeing the first sentence. By saying that whatever can be described of the Tao is not the true Tao, its author, Lao-tzu, establishes his first premise: the Tao is a force beyond human explanation. However this assum ...

Part two of term paper
... In Chapter 36 Lao-tzu discusses action and reaction, "If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand. If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish. If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given." This excerpt ties into the statement in Chapter 30 that "for every force there is a counter force" which is applicable to political situations. For example, if a ruler noticed an uprising of disgruntled subjects, it would be ...