I've learned quite a bit about Taoism and I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but do Taoist belive in evolution?
Hmmm, im not to sure about that... sure we're ever in motion... but i dont know if that means taoists believe in Darwin's theory of evolution... Ive done some meditations with taoist principles.. I wouldnt say im a taoist though.. I think theres more to the picture than Darwin's theory..
Who ever talked mentioned Charlie? In the alchemical tradition evolution is an important aspect. Taoism is in many ways an eastern Alchemical tradition (both inner and outer alchemy) and I think it takes a very important role in Taoist thought. Darwin didn't create the idea of evolution, he created evolution of species - he applied an existing idea to something he had observed. Taoism also encourages us to do our best to see things how they are - Solala Towler says: "Remember that the Path of Tao is not just an ancient, foreign, mystical path; it is a cross-cultural, nonsexist, practical, and even scientific way of viewing the world and our place within it." Taoism teaches to go with change, not against it. Evolution the accepted scientific thoery for how we got here (I know many of you don't believe in it, and I know that some scientist don't either - it's still the officially accepted thoery). The only Taoists I can see not believing in evolution are a) those who don't care or b) those who happen to believe that it shouldn't be the accepted thoery for whatever scientific basis. Blessings Sebbi
Taoism fundamentally agree's with evolution, though it would seemj to take it slighly deeper than the simple natural selection by gene mutation theory of evolution, or perhaps it's just my interpretation. The way is inside all of us, and all living things, it is a force which seeks to grow without apparent action, and evolution can be interpretted as an example of how it's manifested itself through time. Think of such things as what possibly brought life to that first cell, and the tree's in the amazon that have honed there flying seeds to such a point they are the most efficient glider design known to man. Also the question of complex manifestations such as the first eye or nose, it almost wouldn't seem to make sence that these manifestaions could have occured through some flop gene in a well reinforced duplication process.
I don't think there's anything in the Tao Te Ching or other Taoist texts that would conflict with evolution. I'm Taoist and I believe in evolution.
I believe in evolution. One believes whole heartedly in creationism. Who is right? Reality is both ojective and subjective at the same time, is it not? I believe that is one aspect of the saying: Tao is everything and nothing. Therefore, a taoist sage would believe in both and neither. A taoist wouldn't be concern too much with the details of life, but look at everything holisticly and in the present.
all things chainge. those chainges which are most successful, persist longest. that is all evolution claims, other then also that it accounts for the diversity of species that we see and the charicteristics of each. lao tsu and the others, recognized that all things chainge. i didn't know them personaly of course but i very much doubt, if they were alive today they would be arguing against evolution. =^^= .../\...
i kinda got that the whole buzz was use your intuition. so if you think evolution darwins way was right then nobody should be telling you otherwise. make up your own mind. and taoism is not a religion its just a book a slap in the face that says" think for yourself" remember that when you read it you wont need to ask these questions to people on forums. Gra agus solas Rocc
close but no ceeegar. daoism isn't just one book, or even neccessarily one author, however ancient and venerable, but the sumation 'think for yourself' comes pretty close. avoid deceiving yourself comes even closer. which does put it at odds with some of the more massively popular beliefs. which probably has something to do with human gullibility and intillectual lazyness. wanting someone else to do their thinking for them so they can just get all fanatical about it without having to have the slightest idea or understanding about what they are. =^^= .../\...
the tao, ubiquitous as it is, has 'guided' human brain evolution in such a way that we have potential for harmony and thus happiness. maybe down the line there, in our multicellular lineage there was a proper combination of chemicals that resulted in a workable 'psychology'('brain' chemistry) for that organism. a proper balance naturally worked out by the tao and happenstance to arrive at how we, as descendants a few billion years later, percieve the tao. just throwin it out there..
