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Daoist philosophy and modern science are very different at first glance and come from two very different backgrounds. I will set out to describe how similar they are and how the two systems can be used to encourage the other to push forward with their methods to find a flourishing life for us all. Both of these systems of understanding view and look to explain what they consider to be natural processes to find the answers they need. There are differences in their world views but in this, they can both be viewed to have important knowledge to lead to a flourishing life. They both look for knowledge in different methods and move to use that knowledge in different ways yet even with this their discoveries can both benefit each other. It is in this way that the complex systems that both study lead us to see how their systems interact with each other and how they can make great bounds by working together.

When first learning about Daoism, the process of yinyang is necessary to understand all the other theories behind Daoism. Yinyang is a cycle between, not opposites, but complementary contrasts such as good and bad, night and day. The cycle of yinyang is a circular process which is continuous. Science, on the other hand, looks at a linear progression through time as things change and evolve. For science, each thing stands on its own and is the same or different, not comparative and relying on other things to compare it to. This is not always the case but in the example of day and night some scientific studies do not take into account the changing of the light but only the fact that there is or is not light. This is done to look at specifics of things such as plants which are affected by light but, as far as my knowledge is, not how they are affected by changing light. Scientists do accept that there is a slow change from day to night but in many cases they do not think it is significant to them. In these ways science is still consistent in not always seeing a gradual cycle, a concept very important to Daoism.

Chang, or consistency, is best described as a ‘continuous repetition of the cycle and paths of natural processes.’ The cycle of yinyang shows a repetitive cycle which holds true to Chang and is the basis of the concept. The majority of scientists hold that there is a linear progression, as previously mentioned. This is not a cycle but there are repetitive process which holds a course forward. There are then multiple processes occurring multiple times to continue the forward progression, not one of returning. The Daoist cycle of yinyang is consistently returning, fan and in doing so forms a cycle. If scientists looked at this, they could observe that they are following the cycle but that they have no way to know when the cycle will begin again. For all that we know the known length of humans and this earth may have just been one revolution so far. This would allow for how both Daoists and many scientists look at the worldly progression to be acceptable to the other.  

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Both modern science and Daoists look to solve their problems through observing nature. The largest difference between the two is their method. Science is defined as being tentative, testable, falsifiable, repeatable, based on physical reality, and it can be explained by the five senses. Using these ideas scientists start by observing their surroundings and making a guess at what could explain what they have observed. This is then tested through changing specific parts of the environment of the observation to see how that effects the observation. From the results of this a new observation is made and the process is continued. Scientists are then manipulating and changing nature to understand its basic qualities and Daoists look to observe nature in its natural state with out putting it into circumstances which it would otherwise not be in. Through manipulation, science sometimes looks to find out how things work without interactions, with other systems. This is not how nature always works and it is necessary to also study the interactions of organisms or we cannot see them acting naturally.

Scientists do see that there are many systems, all interacting with each other to make each one work naturally, in nature, though they are not always testing this. There are some instances such in genetic studies where test organisms are given minimal media to live off of, not things they would normally live on or eat to sustain them which is quite unnatural. Ziran, or naturally, is how nature is and in this way Daoists study nature. Daoists have a different approach then many scientists, by looking at natural things in their natural environment with out changing the situation, one can observe things acting naturally. Everything’s ziran is considered to not be a fixed path but more of the natural instincts associated with everything’s inner nature. By understanding other natural paths Daoists believe that we may be able to discover our natural path and, by following it, find a flourishing life.

Both modern society and Daoists look to find a way for a flourishing life though they each have different ideas of what this is. In our modern society we are all looking to live happy lives, whatever this may mean for each of us. Modern science can help with this by keeping us healthy and by enriching our lives with technology among many things. These may allow us to be happier but they are not always natural and from a Daoist perspective, and may lead us away from leading a flourishing life. Daoists believe that ziran is the way to a flourishing life but this is not all that is needed. According to Daoists, in society now we are not living naturally at all and it is necessary that we return, following the yinyang cycle, to nature and escape the human constructs of society. It may not be possible to return to nature completely but it is the act of returning and becoming more natural that is most important to Daoists to live a more flourishing life. The important thing to then look at is how to bring science along with this returning to nature.

In returning to nature Daoists succeed in their mission, but brining flourishing for science is not as easily done. Scientist are trying to move forward by adding their gained knowledge to nature and allowing us to evolve as a society and species so that we can gain the happiness that is desired. This is done through adding technology and other things we take for granted. A Daoist does not believe this is advantageous but that instead of adding to society one must be like pu, the uncarved block. This is because pu is purely natural and has nothing added to it making it unchanged. Daoism says that this is how all should be, natural and unchanged by the world around us, allowing us to flow through the time of this world without letting society move us into an unnatural realm, where the Daoist believe our society currently is. It could be argued that, as our society starts looking to traditional healing techniques and turns to Chinese medicine we are looking for ways to help our society return to nature. Chinese medicine is based off the Daoist principles of yinyang, jing (essence), qi (energy), shen (spirit) and returning to nature (Reid).  Incorporating this system of medicine, which is accepted by Daoists as being natural, may encourage our society to start to return to become more natural, and perhaps live a more flourishing life bringing science as our society starts to return to nature.

Even with all the problems Daoists have with society science does not delve into the problems with society, but only problems society may have with the ideas they come up with, such as moral issues. Science pushes society to accept new ideas which are not commonly accepted. As religion and philosophy are much more traditional, science is a relatively new frontier for thinkers. In some ways science will, after a time, homogenize our society, making everyone think similarly by trying to disprove everything science does not accept. For Daoists they would not want everything being the same rather each of these different things should follow their natural path of what is right for them, regardless of others paths, not being homogenized. To be even more natural Daoists look to embody nature, as embodiment is the natural mode of learning. This way they believe they can solve the problems society has brought while still incorporating natural processes discovered by science. At the same time this will allow Daoists to maintain religion and philosophy, keeping traditional societies which profit the returning to nature, being they were from older societies which frequently were more connected to nature and lived more naturally.

Daoist philosophy does have other benefits over science other than keeping with tradition and nature. The Daoist that looks beyond science is capable of looking at the universe as a whole and determining that we are part of something larger, a system which is consistently rotating, changing, and yet because of this is always the same. This interacting complexity of systems is understood as such by scientists as well. For a Daoist to describe this it requires the understanding of natural processes as the bare minimal for life to continue. Scientists though have ‘made a science out of it’ and have looked a microscopic level to discover the specific minerals required for life of many organisms. Though this is clearly unnatural because by looking at this minimal media needed for life of scientist they miss the larger picture which, oddly enough, includes society and interactions, both with other organisms and the abiotic, non-living environment. Some times these are considered but frequently these can be overlooked as unimportant. For instance a scientist may not see the importance of a tree for casual shade for an animal though a Daoists would see that it is natural for the animal to casually wander, frequently under a tree. Walking under a tree maybe the animal’s natural tendency, being an important experience to the animal, making it natural and with out this it tendency being in the sun too long may be harmful, a fact that my easily be over looked by scientists. Science could understand this through testable methods though this may frequently be an observation that would be overlooked as unimportant and scientists then may remove the tree to study the animal without realizing how the tree itself is vital to the nature of the animal.

            When we then go back to look at this through a human perspective of how we should live, Daoists believe that we should live as the animals we are, naturally. Science on the other hand sees ‘nature red toothed and claw’ (Darwin) which for all animals shows that nature is naturally violent and is in constant flux with an arms race, so to say, to be the strongest. Scientists say that this is how humans naturally are as well though from this definition of being natural, one could conclude that as a society we are being natural for humans, seeking power as a society, frequently through violent acts so that we can obtain the basic necessities of life, food, shelter, and water. However, this is not how Daoists interpret living naturally for humans and they do not accept the natural state of nature which Darwin puts forth. Unlike other animals Daoists believe we have become civilized and, having this in our thinking, it would be hard to return to being with out it. Being natural for Daoists is living like the animals we are, which are humans, with civilization, yet by removing the things of society that have corrupted civilization, such as technology which is unnatural. It is natural for us to maintain civilization as we are a ‘pack animal’ from the scientific standpoint which allows us to maintain interactions with each other and maintain traditions associated with out interactions. This method would maintain both a Daoist and scientific perspective.

In moving to attain a system that both Daoists and scientists would accept it is easy to maintain the movement of yinyang through a slight alteration of interpretation. Science sees gradual change over time, such as evolution. Daoists can see this as an uphill returning like fan in the yinyang cycle creating a spiral shape rather than a circle. This causes a constant returning yet at the same time we are allowed to move forward for science, or backwards in the returning to nature. These cycles are very long periods of time and science has accepted that there are long cycles such as global temperature flux, showing how global warming, to an extent, is a natural process, following the yinyang cycle. Daoists see this as natural but a portion of global warming is not natural and is caused by our society and can be fixed by returning to nature. This would allow us to be part of the natural flux, such as the natural temperature flux, which is in a way, a patterned chaos.

There are many examples of patterned chaos which are in our society, frequently being excellent examples of the yinyang cycle which, as being described above, is accepted by both scientists and Daoists. For example, walking is a patterned chaos as one steps off balance and then falls forward, catching oneself with the other leg. By seeing how there is balance and unbalance we see how naturally there are fluxuations in nature which moves forward by the start of an unbalance. It could then be concluded, with the unbalance we currently have in our society that this is the beginning of moving towards a returning to yinyang.

With all of the differences of scientists and Daoists there are still things that they can each mutually benefit from by working together. Assuming that there is movement and we are in a cycle of returning, both Daoists and scientists can use their own methods to move in the direction they require living a flourishing life with out conflict. The different methods may be essentially the difference between Daoists and scientists but if they both continue on their own paths, their discoveries and insights into society and culture can benefit both of them to widen their views and find a flourishing life for all.

Works Cited

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard UP, 1964.

Reid, Daniel. The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala, 1995.