Lao-tzu, A Study in Chinese Philosophy

A scholarly examination of Lao-tzŭ and the Tao-te Ching that surveys traditional biographies, textual history, and questions of authorship. It distills central doctrines attributed to him, explicates concepts such as the Tao and wu-wei, and compares these ideas with Confucian and Buddhist perspectives. The author evaluates translations and interpretive disputes, highlights how later Taoist practice diverged from early texts, and offers chapter-by-chapter commentary and philological notes. Overall the study blends historical investigation with philosophical analysis to illuminate ethical, political, and metaphysical themes found in the classical text.