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Weber's Daoism: A failure of orthodoxy
Barbalet, Jack
Barbalet, Jack
Author
Abstract
The paper fills a gap in the discussion of The Religion of China by focusing on Weber’s treatment of Daoism. First, it presents an examination of Weber’s use of sources in his construction of Daoism and his location of mysticism and religion in the early Daoist text Daodejing. Second, his treatment of Daoism – and Confucianism – within the orthodox/heterodox framework is examined and shown to be a European projection inadequate for understanding Chinese state practices. Finally, it is shown that Weber’s approach prevents appreciation of the contribution of Daoist thought to a Chinese entrepreneurial spirit. By reformulating Weber’s argument concerning culture and economy, this important and neglected aspect of Daoism is highlighted.
Keywords
Daoism, entrepreneurship, Laozi, orthodoxy, orthopraxy
Date
2014
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Classical Sociology
Book
Volume
14
Issue
3
Page Range
284-301
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
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