Creativity and Diversity: Generating a Universe in Early Daoist Texts

Abstract

Early Daoist thought, beginning from the Laozi, can be roughly divided into three sections: cosmology, politics and bodily practices. I argue that cosmogony is the root, offering a basis for both political and bodily practices. The questions I raise concentrate on cosmogony—what are the models suggested by these texts, what are the key concepts, and do the texts discussed develop from and expand Laozi’s philosophy of Dao? To answer the last question, I take a step further and look not only at cosmogony but also at political practices.