Pro
#1
Framework:
1. these truths are greatest number of best truths
2. tao contains these truths
C. tao contains greatest number of best truths
2 is truism, tao te ching indeed contains these truths I will list. About proving 1, I will define "best truths" as truths which are useful in all areas of life, and are also short and simple to be effectively remembered. Further, my opponent must present one religion with greater number of best truths than taoism. He cannot say "Maybe there is some out there", as no topic is disproved by words "Maybe it isnt true".
Invincible Person
tao talks of an invincible person, something which person achieves by not identifying himself with his own body, and by abandoning his desires through tao cultivation.
"If one does not identify with his body, what in the world can possibly hurt him?"
"If one does not desire anything, then he never misses anything."
tao teaches in simple way how to become invincible, and it is through detachment from anything which is temporary and can be destroyed. If you dont identify with anything which can be hurt, you cannot be hurt for there is nothing to be hurt.
tao te ching teaches that person is one with tao when person has no thoughts. Such person cannot be harmed by anything, because there are no toughts to destroy, nor desires to deny, and whatever happens is no different from anything else, for there are no thoughts to create good and bad. One who has no idea of "harm" cannot experience harm from his own perspective, for nothing is considered harm. It is true way and the only way of invincibility which exists.
"All possible"
tao te ching is written in one particular way. It will usually compare two options which are the only possible options, such as "useful and useless".
It later gives advice to follow this way of thinking:
"Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity,
Eternity embraces the all possible
All possible leads to vision of oneness"
All possible means all what is logically possible, and such is achieved in tao te ching by using opposites to create a full image.
Useful and not useful, empty and not empty, desire and no desire...
this is not just fundamental concept in tao te thing, it is actually fundamental concept in all logic, expressed in logical way of "A and Not A", with no 3rd option existing.
It is a true path of the "all possible", because something can either be A or not A. there is no 3rd option, as one cannot equal both nor neither.
tao te ching is written in this way, expressing pure logic in its teachings.
Cause and effect
tao te ching teaches cause and effect in a reverse way, which is why it is one of most original works in this area.
It doesnt merely say "A causes B". It says "Lack of A makes B impossible".
Logic of tao te ching works in this way specifically, in these examples:
"Lack of desire makes unachieved desire impossible."
"Lack of identifying with anything makes it impossible to be hurt"
"Without emptiness, usefulness of any object is impossible"
Speaking few words
Speaking few words is important, because speaking too much means a lot will be forgotten. tao te ching is very short, and for this reason it can be the best truth, because truth which is too long is truth which will be forgotten. If some truth had 100 billion pages, no one could read it, and it would not be best truth, for it would be unobtainable. Person in life needs both simple and short truth. truth which is not simple nor short will only cause confusion, misunderstanding and forgetting.
Wu principle
Wu means emptiness. Basic tao principle is Wu Wei (emptiness action). In simple words, consider a person who is hungry and needs food. that person has emptiness. Giving food to that person would fill the emptiness and create a connection. You would be useful to that person because you yourself created empty space in your life for that person to occupy.
Person who isnt useful to others, others have no use from such person. If something has no empty space, nothing can enter it. A house which has no empty space in it cannot be lived in. Car without empty space in it cannot be entered. It is Wu (emptiness) which gives usefulness.
Government
Best government according to taoism is the one which serves the will of people and not its own will. thus, taoism is earliest form of democracy.
Defense
"I would rather retreat a foot than advance an inch."
Retreat is a fundamental and crucial strategy, but tao extends it further into idea of "avoiding". Avoiding is both easier and uses less resources than fighting.
tao does not compete, so nothing can compete with it.
Instead of going into pointless fights in the world where person's desires are destined to perish anyway, tao teaches the ultimate strategy which endures: No desires, no competition. Because taoist does not desire anything, the state of lack of desires continues even after body dies. taoist is same in death as he is in life. Death does not harm or change him.
