Taoism is the ideology of the declining slave-owning class at the lower level, while Confucianism is the ideology of the declining slave-owning class at the upper level. The denigration of Confucianism by Taoism, in form, is similar to the denigration of Confucianism by Legalists representing the landlord class, which objectively has some positive significance. When a idealist criticizes the theoretical foundation of another idealist, it often benefits the materialist foundation. The internal contradictions within the slave-owning class also favor materialism, and the progressive significance of Taoist doctrine lies here. However, the contradiction between Taoism and Confucianism ultimately stems from the contradictions within the same class, with their fundamental interests being aligned; Taoism still belongs to the ideology of the exploiting class.
Taoism is actually very reactionary, more confusing than Confucianism, and its reactionary nature is harder to recognize. Historically, it did not become the official philosophy of the reactionary classes of successive dynasties like Confucianism, nor was it repeatedly criticized by the working people later. The so-called “Wu Wei Er Zhi” (non-action and non-interference) in Laozi, which appears to oppose Confucian “self-restraint and returning to rites,” is actually just a view that Confucian reactionary ideas are too radical to be convincing to the masses; to carry out mild reaction, feigning selflessness and offering some benefits to the masses, taking small losses and gaining big advantages, and deceiving the people into obedience through reformist illusions. However, reform cannot save slave society; at the end of the slave society, the slave-owning class was unwilling to implement any reforms. Laozi actually wanted to “govern the world,” but no slave-owning class would use his ideas, which is why he was passive and withdrew from society. Laozi said, “Reduce excess, reduce extravagance, reduce arrogance,” which on the surface opposes the ruling class’s arrogance, extravagance, wastefulness, and luxury, but in reality, it is just to keep the ruling class’s wealth hidden to prevent the laboring people from discovering it and opposing it. Laozi’s statement, “Not to value rare goods makes the people not steal; not to see desirables makes the people’s hearts not chaos,” expresses this idea. The words “theft” and “chaos” are insults to the laboring people and also admit that the laboring people will rise up to oppose the slave-owning class. Currently, China’s petty bourgeoisie likes Taoist doctrines, believing that Taoism is noble, reclusive, and opposed to autocracy and dictatorship, but in fact, they have been deceived by Taoism. Taoism actually stands with Confucianism in opposing the people. Laozi said: “The people do not fear death; how can I threaten them with death? If I make the people always fear death and they become strange, I will seize and kill them; who dares?” This means that if the people are not afraid of death and rebel, it will be impossible to suppress them. But if deception makes the people only think of their own interests and fear death, and then the few fearless brave ones are killed, no one will rebel. This fully exposes its reactionary essence. The capitalist society today is similar, full of decadent and corrupt spiritual opium, because the bourgeoisie itself is about to perish, and its cultural works look like they are on their last legs. It pretends to be a friend of petty bourgeoisie, dragging along those who are oppressed by the bourgeoisie and addicted to various reactionary arts, as its sacrificial offerings.
The reactionary nature of Taoist thought is also reflected in its populist and retrograde views. Laozi said, “The wise who follow the Tao in ancient times did not use their enlightenment to enlighten the people, but to deceive them. The difficulty in governing the people is due to their excessive wisdom.” This clearly exposes Taoism’s reactionary view that if the people are educated and become wise, they will rebel. This is similar to Confucianism. Confucianism says, “Women without talent are virtuous,” because if women gain knowledge, they will know how to struggle, threatening the patriarchal social order, so they want to deprive women of the right to education. Clearly, these exploitative classes want to deceive the working masses, making them eliminate knowledge and desire, becoming people without knowledge and desire. From a reactionary standpoint, they recognize that the fall of slave society was due to the development of productive forces and the increasing experience and knowledge of the working people during their struggles, which led to the inability of the slave-owning class to maintain their rule. Therefore, they believe that only ignorance and retrogression can preserve their dominance. Laozi said, “Many skillful people, strange things arise,” and Zhuangzi said, “Abandon sages and discard knowledge, and great thieves will cease,” “Fight and break the scales, and the people will not compete,” all clearly reflecting opposition to the progress of productive forces and the awakening of the people. The early slave society depicted in Laozi, with “neighboring states facing each other, the sounds of chickens and dogs heard,” and the primitive society described in Zhuangzi, “living with beasts, tribes and all things,” are not even the primitive or beast era, but express this kind of thought.
Laozi denies war, saying: “After a great army, there will be a famine,” and “Soldiers are ominous tools,” because it reflects the thoughts of the declining lower classes of the slave-owning class. The decline of the slave-owning ruling class is constantly moving toward collapse through war, and their property is lost in war, so they are especially tense when mentioning war. The emerging landlord class, on the other hand, is confident of victory in wars against the declining class, for example, Shang Yang said, “Use war to go to war.”
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