Dialectic Daoism – a leading philosophy of China

           Frank Li,  June 21, 2026

Human is a body of a skin wraps 206 bones living a limited life time on Earth; then returns transforms into nourishments for new bodies. The  bodies’ successions of survival seeking social activities form so call society and culture, accompanying with so called history and civilization. The bodies self-proud of higher animals as human beings in super intelligence than that of lower animals; but live in the way of the Law of Jungle of lower animal, being inhuman ones coerced looting, killing for wealth, for faith, for democracy, for values, for human rights; for coining excuse.

Today, the science & technology progress promoted the unparalleled prosperity of the material wealth; it can be called as Affluent Society under the pride democracy; people should enjoy the hoped life. However, please see the increasingly unlivable world; the West is pushing the world toward multi-extinctions: the atomic cremation, World War III, Great Depression. Even we are lucky not finished by wars or crimes; but also we cannot survive from increasingly soaring up life spending. 

We must explore the cause and solution for the manmade disasters.

Philosophy guides the way humans think, which in turn affects the consequences of actions. Correct philosophy produces good social effects. Wrong philosophy produces bad social effects.

Philosophy Daoism of China

Daoism in Mandarin, Taoism in Cantonese, it emerged in 4th century BCE is symbolized by the Tai-Ji Diagram, the outermost circle is called as Taiji, which indicates that everything universally is in movement in cycling endlessly. 

Daoism dialectically views the universe as a system of the unity of opposites, which is composed of many components - subsystem with own feature of unity of opposites. The components are all in the state of dynamic balance through continuous self-regulation. The two sides of unity of opposites are interdependent as the part of each other’s existence. Dao embodies the harmony of the unity of opposites by regulating the natural processes and nourishing the balance.

By Yin and Yang represent the two opposites. The black fish represents the Yin, but its eye is white that means yang, white fish represents Yang, but its eye is black that means Yin. The whole symbol means that Yin doesn't leave Yang, and Yang doesn't leave Yin. They are opposites of each other with contradiction and reunification. Each is understood to be an integral part of the others. If one grows bigger, other one will be smaller.

Taiji diagram of Daoism; Yin (Dark) - Yang (White)              

Yin often represents the negative, the female, dark, cloudy, cold and the Earth, etc.. Yang represents the positive, the male, bright, sunny, hot, and the Heaven, etc. They are in accompanying coexistence; there would be no male without female, no bright without dark.

The core of the Daoism is the Dao - “It refers to a power that envelopes, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Dao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the universe.” It embodies the harmony of the opposites.

Therefore, the universe is a system that is in the state of dynamic balance through continuous self-balance. This primitive dialectical view generated in thousands of years ago is well coinciding with the objective world and modern science. For example.

Daoism is well coinciding with the modern science in nature world

Since the Daoism is developed by observe the real world in geography, astronomy, society & daily life, rather than idealistic fantasy, so that the primitive philosophical view that generated in thousands of years ago is well coinciding with the modern science in nature world. For example:

In objective reality

In macro perspective, the planets with the sun in solar system, and solar system with other galaxies are all in the continuously rotating in the state of self-regulation by attraction and repulsion of each other. They are also in the state of dynamic equilibrium of unity of opposites.  

In micro perspective, as small as atom, extranuclear electrons cloud with the nucleus are both in the state of attraction and repulsion, the electronics rotating around the nucleus in dynamic equilibrium. They are in the state unity of opposites. Atoms are the components to compose of natural substance; also, include human body.

In subjective reality

The dialectical thinking is very important when dealing with the social contradiction. In social life, various social contradictions or problems are also the unity of opposites, the two sides of contradiction are the integral part of each other in co-exist or co-perish; the strong and weak position of the contradiction is in the state of dynamic converting.

Daoism is best matching with both objective reality and subjective reality without false illusions. Therefore, the Daoism is perfect rational for dealing with the complex issues naturally, socially and physically.

Daoism is the cornerstone of the civilization of China

The way of dialectically view of Daoism helps people of China to look at, analyze and solve social problems from multiple perspectives, the factors in positive and negative, and the potential consequences, as detailed as possible. In which way, the solution will be more realistic and less error-making.

As one of the important ancient philosophies of China, the Daoism is the cornerstone of the civilization of China with influencing the social governance and the civilization of East & South Asia, and the population from China globally.

The dialectical philosophy Daoism cultured people of China with the quality of dialectical thinking; so that the people of China carefully dealing with anything by looking at problems from different angles, at different sides and at different levels, the good consequence and the bad consequence in detailed without omissions or mistake.

Due to that rational reasoning can be deep into many levels with series of possible consequences as that of judging domino effect; so that lesser reckless; never positively aggression and plundering others besides defense; which was the reason that China built Great Wall to avoid wars, rather than simply fight back to destroy enemy.

This is the reason that China built Great Wall to avoid wars and the big Zheng He fleet 7 times around the world without looting and colonizing; and bringing books to Italy to trigger the Renaissance. This is the root reason that the people of China and the people in neighboring countries are able to enjoy a long peaceful life.

However, friendly and kindness of China was viewed as weak and deceivable by the people who are with distorted reasoning function, which was the reason that foreigners repeatedly invaded China.

In comparison, the most of Westerners are lack of dialectical reasoning, so that they look at problem from intuitive appearance, rarely touches the deep level, and rarely takes into account of the bad consequences, which was the one of reasons that U.S. has been at war for all but 16 years of its 242-year history.

The humanized practice of China derived from the humanized guidance of rational dialectic philosophy Daoism; due to that it is the philosophy in determining people’s way of thinking and thereby deciding the practice wrong or right.

Dialectic philosophy Daoism TCM helps to developed TCM

TCM is developing by taking the principles and terminology of dialectic philosophy Daoism, views human body as organic whole as one of the unity of opposites in the universe, in which all of organs and tissues are in harmony interconnected and mutual-influenced. In thousand years ago, the practitioners of TCM have found that psychological factors are in decisively affecting the development of diseases with the belief that the disease treatment is seven-tenths in psychotherapy, only three-tenths in medication. A well balanced human body can effectively handle with diseases, so that disease treatment is focusing on the restoration of Yin and Yang balance (macro roughly); without the concepts of modern anatomy or viruses (micro accurately).

Dialectic philosophy is the best philosophy for first-rate intelligence

American novelist Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) in his 1936 essay “The Crack-Up” indicates that “the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”

Obviously; the dialectic philosophy is just the best philosophy for first-rate intelligence.