Writing Assignment #2
Why are things done in a particular way? What is the real difference between things? “Why” is far more important than “What” in a philosophy course.
In the first paragraph, you should clearly explain how we can think of Daoism as a philosophy of nature. What is it about Daoism that would encourage us to understand this religion as a way of thinking about the natural world? What is important about the fact that Daoism is based on such a foundation?
In the second paragraph, you should clearly explain how we can view Daoism as a religion. What aspects of this “philosophy” are particularly religious in nature? What are the religious foundations of Daoism, and what are the basic teachings that build upon that foundation?
In the third paragraph, you will explain how Daoism might be thought of as a system of ritual practices. This is related to it being a religion—but different. Removing the specifically “religious” aspects, how might someone practice the ritual of Daoism, separate from its religious implications?
What is the importance of ritual, when viewed in this way?
In your final paragraph, you will expand these ideas to other religious traditions (perhaps your own). All religions have different aspects—they are ways of thinking about the world, they are religious systems, they are sets of ritual practice. Explain how seeing these distinctions in Daoism should impact our thinking about religion in general.
The goal is to explain the ideas, in your own words, as you would explain it to someone who knows nothing about Daoism. How would you explain to a friend why these different aspects of “religion” are important?