The speed of modern life rarely allows us to think about major philosophical questions and moral rules that control our lives. Not surprisingly, we close ourselves to the outer world, trying to follow a habitual set of circumstances and refrain from indulging in new ideas. After reading Trial of Socrates and Daodejing, the reader realizes how rarely people think about the interrelations between the world and themselves and the invisible rules our life follows to maintain harmony and balance. Looking at the circumstances on a larger scale might allow someone to come to various conclusions that can help advance personal growth and the way of thinking. In this assignment, the books will be critically assessed in the context of modern society and the practical implementations they have today.
The book written by Chinese philosopher, Laozi, has met different interpretations through the centuries. Some people struggle to comprehend the major ideas meant by the author and search for the hidden sense, and possible clarification of the metaphors. The other people try to find the answer to their questions, the sense of life, and other essential issues. Truly, human beings are paying attention to the data they are currently living through and the answers to the questions they are searching for. That is why a deep sense of literature can be perceived variously by readers of different ages, sex, social status, and talents.
The book is also written in a unique manner and interesting flow, and it leaves a feeling that it maintains the world’s wisdom, calmness, and the map to the right path. When reading the tractate, I felt like becoming a part of something bigger and more substantial than a daily rush. From a critical view, it can be concluded that the author promotes a collectivistic mindset with a lack of attention to the individual aspect of life perception.
Daodejing discloses the questions of wisdom and the choice of the right path. All the eighty-one paragraphs are disclosing the interconnections of people and the outer world and help a person estimate the importance of his actions and their meanings. A true Sage, according to the Daodejing, will never interfere with the natural flow of events, letting them flourish, grow, and create harmony. At the same time, the Sage refraining from intentional activity keeps being a part of the system and saves control. Laozi teaches us to be attentive to the life signs and trust the circumstances sometimes, as some issues might be solved by themselves naturally and calmly, with no extra convulsive movements and energy loss. According to the text, the Sage “undertakes teaching without words.” Nevertheless, the mindset of the natural flow of events compromises the desire for personal development and self-realization. This can also be an easy excuse explaining personal shortcomings and misfortunes.
According to the Laozi philosophy, nothing in nature is meaningless and empty as everything gives form to things and has a deep sense. The perception of emptiness in modern society means nothing as it does not have a special form, it cannot be touched, and people cannot use it in any profitable sense. However, the space around us makes us breathe, communicate, and function. The empty spaces between forms and items set characteristics to the items, which raise their definition and significance. That means a person cannot devalue anything in the outer world as every tiny aspect of life has a deep meaning, and even if it is not always understandable to humans, it is still a part of us and the whole system. That has also brought me to the idea that a person cannot possess knowledge about everything, but he cannot judge or set global values to the items as he takes an equal part existing on the planet.
In the book, it is stated that everything is maintained by a force of balance of positivity and negativity. From one perspective, a modern society cannot consist only of healthy people, then, there will not be any reason to cure others and the value of life will be underestimated. According to Laozi, life will always consist of evil and good, love and hatred, laziness, and hard work. Still, it is easy to debunk the argument of balance since there has been a lack of it throughout human history. For example, in the XXIst century, the lowest levels of poverty and the increased standards of living for most people around the world have been estimated. However, for thousands of years, people entered the dark ages when most of them suffered for a lifetime. It is evident that there is no balance of positive and negative energy, it is just a chaotic dynamic process of human development.
Not all the aspects claimed in the book might likewise be implemented by the modern man in life. Laozi believed that avoiding richness and valuing things creates peaceful and equal relationships between the people and allows the governor to decrease dissatisfaction from the people and their ability to overthrow him. Creating an equal relationship in the sense of possessing money and wealth seems utopic and hardly realizable for any society as people work unequally, they are genetically different and cannot refuse monetary values. Treasures are also memories from the past, ancestors, and some essential historical events. Refusing to keep value for things like that might take away a significant part of their history and belongings from humans.
Moreover, the governor in the modern democracy allows people to talk, and express their opinion. That is a specific indicator of the ruler’s activity and law establishment. Every governor comprehends he can be overthrown if he does not serve the people and the country.
The trial of Socrates immerses a reader into the other part of the ancient Greek world and raises similar questions in front of the reader using other words in different circumstances. The book narrates a story about the philosopher Socrates that was put on trial by the Athens citizens and sentenced to death. The major concern of the trial was that Socrates influenced badly the young generation and prays to his gods, disrespecting commonly accepted gods. The majority agreed with the accusations; however, Socrates claimed that speaking to his inner voice that is not prohibited by law. The inner voice helped the philosopher understand himself better and the motives for his actions.
Socrates also disputes that the only thing he could have taught the younger people is following modern laws. The philosopher was called wise; however, he could only be called wise because he knew that he did not know anything at all. The questions Socrates asked young peers initiated the other more complicated questions, and people, instead of becoming more interested in the world set, became angry at the old man for putting grain in the ground. As mentioned before, humans are used to routine life and oftentimes do not want to look from a bigger scale on their lives. For most people, development is slow and is done by force, without personal achievements and wishes.
Socrates showed high respect for the government and its laws and the possibility to escape from prison, he chose to stay devoted to the laws and rules of the government he respected and loved until the end of his days. On one side, nowadays, the attitude to law following has changed, and some people perceive their law-breaking as a positive and successful achievement. In Socrates’ time, the will to sacrifice personal life to save the order and balance in the government deserves special attention.
The counterargument to Socrates’s philosophy regarding obedience to laws promotes the dictatorships of the majority. Even if laws are democratically constructed, they are only adopted to the majority’s demands. This means that the vulnerable minorities are left with limited rights and possible cruelty. The story’s irony is that Socrates ended up being the minority and was killed by the popular vote.
Thus, some aspects of the book Daodejing are simplistic and do not reflect the complex nature of modern society. The book provides a well-written and interesting view of Chinese philosophy but has limited practical implementations. Despite being ancient, the book still possesses wise advice that can help get to know the outer world better. Governmental and political subjects seem to be written for ancient Chinese times. Still, the book provides the Way, raises the questions of wisdom, harmony, balance, and sense, and teaches us to notice and respect everything surrounding us. The Trial of Socrates underlines the human nature of accusing someone instead of facing society’s shortcomings. The book also raises the issue of law compliance and offers valuable insight into possible democracy flaws, especially regarding the dictatorship of the majority.