Some Group Work on Buber and Lao Tzu

Break up into small groups. Delegate one or more members of your group to
(1) prepare a summary of your group's discussion,
(2) make a list of your group's members, and
(3) make sure each member of your group has a copy of your answers.
If you are doing this as a student in the spring, 2020, section of the course, please follow the instructions emailed to the class.

Discuss your answers to the following questions.

1. Compare Buber (Way of Man, Ch. 2, “The Particular Way”) with Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, Book One, Ch.1) on the role of desires in finding one's way.

2. How could someone apply at least one of the teachings in Buber’s The Way of Man? Could anyone in your group apply it to a challenge in their own experience? If not, why not? If so, how so?

3. Briefly compare, contrast, or explain some political implications of Tao Te Ching and Way of Man. Please feel free to include texts from the Analects if you find them helpful.

December 5, 2018, revised April 23, 2020
Michael Kagan, Le Moyne College,
kagan@lemoyne.edu

Back to Kagan's homepage
http://web.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/