ABSTRACT
Laozi, or Lao Tzu,1 is one of the semi-legendary sages of ancient China and the founding father of the philosophical and religious movement known as Daoism (or Taoism). The essence of this movement’s philosophy is found in the book Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), a title which translates roughly as ‘Book of the Way and Virtue’. Along with Confucius, Laozi has been a major influence on Chinese thinking for two and a half millennia, and his thought has particularly important resonances in Eastern ideas about leadership and management. Laozi’s ideas also passed into Western philosophy during the eighteenthcentury Enlightenment, where the Daoist concept of wu-wei (non-action) was adapted by French economists as the concept of laissez-faire.
