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Analysis of the Argument Structure of Tao Te Ching: Focusing on Williams & Colomb’s Model

  • Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • 2021, 78(4), pp.129-164
  • DOI : 10.17326/jhsnu.78.4.202111.129
  • Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : October 12, 2021
  • Accepted : November 3, 2021
  • Published : November 30, 2021

Lee JongSang 1,  Dong-A Lee 1

1공주대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Lao-tzu’s core philosophy has been known as the rule of the king since the first generation of scholars. Later, by several scholars recognized that Tao Te Ching was a text for rulers; the readers of Tao Te Ching were the rulers, and the Tao Te Ching was said to have been written to persuade the ruler. If the purpose of writing Tao Te Ching is to persuade the ruler, it can be inferred that it would have been based on a grounded claim, that is, an argument. Therefore, Lao-tzu’s writing is not simply a sequence, but it can be proposed that all chapters have a certain argumentation system. In this article, Tao Te Ching was viewed as writing for persuasion, that is, argument accompanied by evidence, and the way in which Tao Te Ching was constructed was examined through the analysis of the structure of argument. The structure of the argument used at this time adopted the Williams & Colomb model. Among 81 chapters of Tao Te Ching, there are 9 chapters that contain all four elements, such as evidence-reason-claim-warrant, and when considering the order of arrangement of elements, there are three types. There are 49 chapters composed of three components, such as reason-claimwarrant, and there are 8 types when considering the order of arrangement of components. There are 16 chapters composed of evidence-reason-claim, and there are 5 when considering the order of arrangement of components. In addition, there are two chapters representing two reasons and arguments for one warrant, and one chapter representing two reasons and arguments for each reason. There is one chapter with one claim for three evidences and three reasons, and seven for the other five types. In examining the argument structures considered to be the most widely used in Tao Te Ching, five chapters for each type were examined, and through the analysis of the argument structure, it was possible to more clearly interpret the problem compared to the previous interpretation. In addition, the interpretation of Tao Te Ching by argumentation and analysis results using existing analysis methods such as argumentation method and rhetoric method were compared for Chapters 13, in which both were commonly present. As a result, the analysis frame of the argument structure adopted in this article is more effective for understanding Tao Te Ching, compared to other analytical frames.

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