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A review by studiomikarts
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way by Ursula K. Le Guin
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
It's hard to review this book, and especially to give it a fair star rating, because I am convinced that Ursula K. Le Guin did her utmost to bring Lao Tzu's work into the modern era. It is thoughtfully done, thoroughly explained, and soundly researched. But my final impression of the core material is that the reason Lao Tzu's work has endured for over two millennia is not due to its inherent wisdom but to its nonsensical nature. As the book's introduction suggests, one can flip to any random page, read an excerpt, and feel enlightened. However, unlike others' experience of these writings as a fountain of universal truth, at best I think the words are interpreted the same way as a tarot card. Yes, there are some thoughtful gems scattered throughout, but for the most part, the words can easily be twisted to suit whatever situation or position one likes. And in some extreme cases, the ideas presented are antithetical to those that most people associate this work with. For instance, I present my notes about a certain section:
I'm not on board with the idea of being against invention or progress. It's hypocritical for someone to be using writing to express such ideas. Writing and language are not natural, they are creations. According to the book's own philosophy, the book itself, its method of communication, and the messages it sends, are all deviations from the Way. When uncut wood is the ideal, we would be living naked in the open, just trying to survive to the next day. And if the argument becomes, "Well, a little progress is ok," everything that has been argued thus far disintegrates in hypocrisy.
Despite my overall negative impression of this book, I did find value in having read it. Not least of which was seeing how many of my favorite stories have been influenced by, and have even directly quoted, this material! To end this review on a positive note, here are a couple quotes that fellow film fans might appreciate:
I'm not on board with the idea of being against invention or progress. It's hypocritical for someone to be using writing to express such ideas. Writing and language are not natural, they are creations. According to the book's own philosophy, the book itself, its method of communication, and the messages it sends, are all deviations from the Way. When uncut wood is the ideal, we would be living naked in the open, just trying to survive to the next day. And if the argument becomes, "Well, a little progress is ok," everything that has been argued thus far disintegrates in hypocrisy.
Despite my overall negative impression of this book, I did find value in having read it. Not least of which was seeing how many of my favorite stories have been influenced by, and have even directly quoted, this material! To end this review on a positive note, here are a couple quotes that fellow film fans might appreciate:
This is the way.
Nothing in the world
is as soft, as weak, as water;
nothing else can wear away
the hard, the strong,
and remain unaltered.