Universal Ideas in Stoicism, Taoism & Pantheism

The similarities between the “universal nature” and the “Tao” reveal both a fundamental problem of philosophy and a simple solution.

Introduction

Comparative philosophy seems to be undergoing a bit of a renaissance these days. Particularly in online circles, young people are finding solace in an increasingly cold world through the rediscovery of forgotten ideas. Some are even birthing new ideas from the ashes of the old. Consider this my contribution to these developments.

Often discussed are the connections between various schools of Western philosophy, and especially recently, the connections between various schools of Eastern philosophy. Only sparingly are the connections between East and West explored, however, and this is truly unfortunate, as the two may have more in common than many realize. This is not just an allusion to the Western esoteric tradition, either — even mainstream Western philosophies are far more tied to Eastern ideas than they may seem. In particular, we will look at two philosophies and their principal texts; Stoicism’s Meditations and Taoism’s The Tao Te Ching.

Marcus Aurelius & the Universal Nature

Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome and author of Meditations, constantly discusses in his writing what he calls the “universal nature”. This universal nature is never precisely defined in Meditations, but throughout it…