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In this thesis, I have shown that it is possible for a continuous, new interpretation of the political philosophy of The Daodejing to be compatible with Rawls thin version of liberal democracy, as well as with the considered convictions of individuals within contemporary Western liberal-democratic societies. Simultaneously, I have shown that it is possible for this new, continuous interpretation of The Daodejing to retain its compatibility with the original goals and beliefs ofpre-Qin Daoist philosophy. I began by presenting a traditional, faithful interpretation of The texts political thought, and then showed the aspects of The Daodejings political theory that are incompatiblewith the realities of the contemporary socio-political sphere. Specifically, I pointed tothe affirmed political actions and methods of faithfully read political Daoism as beingincompatible with Rawls thin version of liberal democracy and the considered convictions of contemporary Western liberal-democratic societies. Having pointed out these incompatibilities, I then provided a new, continuous reading of the political philosophy of The Daodejing. I showed that the text was keenly aware of the importance of ones historical, cultural and societal context, and that The Daodejing is quite open to the possibility of adapting its philosophical and political beliefs depending on context. I then provided an interpretation of key Daoist concepts and affirmed political actions, such as wu wei role, the necessity for the ruler to be childish, the necessity for the ruler to be hidden from the common people and the Daoist stance on the issues of education and the desires of the common people. Furthermore, I showed not only that the political theory of The Daodejing can be compatible with liberal democracy and the considered convictions of liberal-democratic societies without contradicting the goals and beliefs of Daoist thought, but that this interpretation of the texts political philosophy is actually very well positioned to deal with the many problems and social issues that can and have arisen in modern, liberal-democratic states (such as consumerism or the tri-polar social hierarchy perceived by Duménil and Lévy).
By providing this continuous interpretation of The Daodejings political theory, I hope to have shown that Chinese philosophy, particularly pre-Qin Chinese philosophy, should not be considered dead philosophical schools. Political Daoism should be considered a viable and contemporarily relevant area of philosophical thought, where new and intellectually valuable interpretations of classical Chinese texts (such as The Daodejing) are waiting to be discovered. While Bai Tongdong, Hans-Georg Moeller and others have shown that new, viable interpretations of pre-Qin Chinese thought are available, there is much work yet to be done in this area, and I hope that this thesis has shown that, if one tries, it is possible to bring new life to ancient philosophical works.
By providing this continuous interpretation of The Daodejings political theory, I hope to have shown that Chinese philosophy, particularly pre-Qin Chinese philosophy, should not be considered dead philosophical schools. Political Daoism should be considered a viable and contemporarily relevant area of philosophical thought, where new and intellectually valuable interpretations of classical Chinese texts (such as The Daodejing) are waiting to be discovered. While Bai Tongdong, Hans-Georg Moeller and others have shown that new, viable interpretations of pre-Qin Chinese thought are available, there is much work yet to be done in this area, and I hope that this thesis has shown that, if one tries, it is possible to bring new life to ancient philosophical works.