Summary
Title: Daoism: A Short Introduction
Author: James Miller
Publisher: Oneworld Publications.
ISBN: 1851683151
Pro:
• Very readable and easy to understand, even for non-scholars and non-students
• Thorough and detailed explanations of Daoist beliefs
Con:
• None
Description:
• Explanation of the history of Daoist thought and philosophy
• Includes a timeline of Daoist history and glossary of Daoist terms
• Describes Daoist history based upon themes of Daoist thought, not straight chronology
Book Review
Scholars who do know about Daoism have been working to try to expose Westerners to the full scope of Daoist philosophy and thought. Among them is James Miller, assistant professor of East Asian Traditions at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. In his book Daoism: A Short Introduction, Miller emphasizes that ever-changing nature of Daoism, explaining that while it spans many centuries of culture, it also renews itself regularly in order to adapt to changing cultural conditions.
According to Daoist tradition, Laozi said that “the Dao can be spoken of but it is not the constant Dao.” This would certainly make it difficult to adequately describe Daoism because anyone who believes this will regard any attempt a failure before it even begins. Miller, however, is game to try and he structures his book around eight key Daoist themes: Identity, Way, Body, Power, Light, Alchemy, Text, and Nature. At the same time we are also introduced key Daoist figures, important texts, and significant events.
The focus, however, is always on the cultural features of Daoism, not its history or any creed. Thus the book does not follow any linear path — a reader can jump backwards and forwards, depending upon which themes are most interesting. Because of this Daoism may at times be regarded as more a philosophy or way of life than a “religion” in the standard Western sense of the term, but on the whole “religion” is still a better label than anything else.
