Research Paper on:
Taoism and Lao Tzu

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
The origin of Taoism is a highly debated subject. Many scholars credit this origin to the philosopher Lao Tzu, a name which translates to mean "Old Sage" (Lao  Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). Lao Tzus given name was Li Erh, a contemporary of Confucius (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). Other scholars, however, believe that the philosophy  of Taoism can actually be credited to a number of scholars who wrote under the name Lao Tzu (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). To further complicate matters, there is  a notable association between the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang-ti) and Lao Tzu (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). It is said that Lao Tzu was an archivist of the imperial  court (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). At the age of eighty he is said to have left those duties, disillusioned by the fact that men were more inclined to  poor behavior than good behavior (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). He subsequently recorded his teachings in the manuscript which would come to be known as the "Tao Te Ching".  "Tao" is translated literally to mean "the Way" or the "Way of Nature" (Jacobs, 1998). "Tao Te Ching" translates to mean "The Way and its Power" (Rasmussen, 2002).  The philosophy which would result did so in direct response to a number of social, political, and philosophical factors (Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism, 2002). Tao Tzus teachings, however,  have managed to travel through time and to be reflected even in contemporary Taoism. It is important to clarify in our discussion  of Taoism that the term "Taoist" refers both to a Chinese system of thought and one of the major Chinese religions. Historically the largest proportions of Taoists have lived