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Taoism
Susie
Posted: 7/9/2002
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Having briefly looked at your website, it strikes me that a lot of your beliefs and theories are similar to those of Taoists, particularly in relation to principles of energy. What are your thoughts on Taoism, and in what respects does it differ to your beliefs?
Susie
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Re: Taoism
(Richard)
Posted: 22/9/2002
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Susie. Many thanks for your constructive comments. I’m no expert on Taoism but I have read about it in the past and doubtless it was very much an influence in the generation of Alphomism. As I say on the web site, I think all widely-held, long-lasting systems of belief contain something of the truth. I suppose the most obvious way in which Alphomism and Taoism are alike is in the absence of a creator god. As I recall, Taoists also believe that time is ‘circular’ but it is worth pointing out that in Alphomism time is very much linear in the evolutionary phase; the circularity comes only from the claim that the Alpha and Omega states are identical. Another similarity is that both systems maintain that knowledge comes from introspection as well as empirical observation. One area of apparent similarity, perhaps, concerns ‘opposites’; Taoists talk about yin/yang and so forth. Alphomism agrees that the existence of opposites (light/dark, creation/destruction) is essential, otherwise there could be no meaning, but the ‘dialectic’ process of thesis and antithesis is, I suggest, only part of the structural story of the universe. I imagine that many Taoists would claim, for example, that male and female are ‘opposites’ but I don’t think it is helpful to see them as such; they are more like ‘complementaries’ There’s much to say about this relationship between ‘the two’ of opposites and ‘the three’ of two complementary factors and an emerging one (which is most vividly exemplified by male-female-child) but I decided not to make the web site more elaborate than it already is! Other ways in which Taoism and Alphomism differ? Firstly, as far as I know, Taoists believe in ‘letting nature take its course’ (‘wu wei’ I think) whereas Alphomism holds that conscious beings will gradually take control and ‘engineer’ the future, leading to the creation of the Omega state. (I’ll shortly be adding to the site a review of a book which strongly supports the idea of a self-generated universe) Secondly, is it not the case that although Taoists have no creator god, they tend to believe in spirits and demons? (I may well be wrong about this!) Whatever, there are no spirits and demons in Alphomism! Thirdly, I understand that Taoists argue that people should be kind to each other because kindness is often reciprocated whereas the role of love is central to Alphomism. I’m sure there’s much more to be said but thanks again for raising the very interesting question and I will sometime make the effort to refresh my memory of Taoism! Richard.
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