Daodejing Chapter 18 breakdown: artificial values

Chapter 18 of the Daodejing bemoans the loss of natural harmony and the rise of artificial values and rituals that came to labelled as Confucian. To Laozi, the fundamental reason for the disorder that reigned over China during his lifetime stemmed from the abandonment of the Dao. Without restoring it as the central guiding principle of society, there was no chance of bringing back peace, stability, and prosperity.

Section 1
When the Great Dao is abandoned,
There is benevolence and rectitude.

The chapter begins by lamenting that when the Dao is discarded, the natural order is disrupted and a complex web of false Confucian values like humaneness and rightness prevails.

If all things are allowed to follow the course of the Dao, then there would be no need for these so-called virtues, which are contrary to human nature and only exist as a reaction against a corrupt society. They address the symptoms rather than the cause of social problems and provide rich fodder for virtue signalling among people eager to display their moral and superiority over others.

Section 2
When knowledge and wisdom emerge,
There is great hypocrisy.

Intellectual sophistication and cleverness lead to artifice and insincerity, moving people further away from the purity and simplicity of the Dao. They are also a major cause of social contention and divisiveness as people compete to assert the supremacy of their particular ideologies.

Section 3
When the six family relationships
Are not harmonious,
There is filial devotion and compassion.

When the Dao is lost, the natural affection and harmony within the family is replaced by a more forced or structured sense of duty and love based on strict adherence to the artificial virtues of filial devotion and compassion. The six family relationships, referring to father, mother, elder brother, younger brother, husband, and wife, become more rigid and ritualised with unquestioning obedience towards seniors taking precedence over mutual warmth and caring.

Section 4
When a state falls into chaos and disorder,
There are loyal ministers.

Loyalty and steadfastness are virtues that only become prized in times of great turmoil and are not as necessary in a harmonious, well-governed state following the Dao. A return to simplicity, spontaneity, and the natural way of things is the true path to a stable society and family life.

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Daodejing Chapter 18: when the Great Dao is abandoned