The Core Value and Moral Codes in Laoist Politics

Abstract

The core value and moral codes in Laoist politics are the essential factors that mold the political ethics in the Eastern Asia. In this study, the notion of "ziran" (self-thus-ness) was explored from four perspectives: its literal meaning, its five uses, the position of ziran in Laozi's political thoughts, and the perspective of the target readers of the Dao De Jing (DDJ). We argue that ziran is a highly regarded value in Laoist politics. More precisely, the maintenance of the common people in their self-thus-ness should be the ultimate goal of rulers. Based on this, we asked how this core value can be realized in the process of governing a state. To respond to this question, we applied content analysis and expound the four moral codes that the rulers ought to embrace.