Is Tao Te Ching the orthodox Taoist school?
Tao Te Ching was one of the most important classics of Taoism, but it was not the orthodox ideology of Taoism. Taoism originated from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. Its main idea was "governing by inaction", which emphasized that people should conform to nature and respect the laws of nature rather than interfere and change them. The main content of the Tao Te Ching, including the discussion of morality, nature, society and other aspects, reflected the core point of view of Taoism. Although Tao Te Ching was one of the important representatives of Taoism, the inheritance and development of Taoism had gone through many periods and different schools of thought. For example, in the early history of Taoism, there were important philosophers such as Zhuangzi and Laozi who put forward many unique ideas. In the later development process, there were important philosophers such as Han Feizi and Xun Zi who supplemented and developed Taoism. Therefore, although the Tao Te Ching was one of the important classics of Taoism, it could not be regarded as the orthodox thinking of Taoism.
