In a thought-provoking exploration of modern society’s relationship with money, this article draws parallels between economic systems and Taoist philosophy to challenge conventional perspectives. The author begins by acknowledging a personal bias toward „softer” weekend content, using this as a springboard to question the pervasive role of money in contemporary life. Drawing from Alan Watts’ interpretation of Taoism, the article posits that money has become the undefined yet omnipresent „Way” of our existence—the Tao of today. Just as the Tao cannot be precisely defined, money resists singular categorization, functioning simultaneously as commodity, medium of exchange, store of value, and social construct while constantly evolving beyond these definitions. This comparison reveals how money has become the fundamental organizing principle of society, mediating our relationships and driving our insatiable desires in a world where even rest must be „productive.”
The article further develops this analogy through the Taoist concept of mutual arising, illustrating how capital and labor emerge interdependently rather than as conflicting forces. Like the complementary poles of a magnet, labor generates capital which in turn creates more labor, with money serving as the reality-giving substance to both. This perspective challenges Marxist critiques by suggesting that capital and labor are inherently interconnected through monetary systems, much like day and night are inseparable aspects of a single cycle. The author extends the comparison to Adam Smith’s „invisible hand” of market forces, aligning it with the Taoist principle of wu-wei—acting in accordance with natural flows rather than interfering with them. This framework suggests that market equilibrium emerges when we allow capital and labor to interact without artificial intervention, much like a sailor working with the wind rather than against it.
Ultimately, the author acknowledges the limitations of this metaphorical exercise, recognizing that money cannot literally encompass the Tao’s universal substance that includes all existence from plants to galaxies. However, the comparison serves as a powerful tool for understanding the overwhelming significance of economic systems in human life. In societies where individuals are born into monetary debt rather than original sin, this philosophical lens helps illuminate how completely economic considerations mediate our existence. The ironic juxtaposition of spiritual philosophy with material economics ultimately encourages readers to relativize money’s importance, potentially freeing us from its psychological dominance while acknowledging its practical necessity in our engineered social reality.
Ez a cikk a Neural News AI (V1) verziójával készült.
Forrás: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/how-the-tao-explains-our-economies.html.