The Affirmation and Negation of "Zhi" and the Affirmation of "Ming"

This article aims to show that although Laozi mentioned no knowledge (wuzhi), he did not deny the value of knowledge as a whole, but rather he offered an alternative way to appreciating and obtaining knowledge. Some scholars, having paid too much attention to the literal reading of no-knowledge, claimed that Laozi advocated anti-intellectualism and the policy that makes people ignorant. In this paper, I argue that this claim is unfounded and unconvincing. My claim is that Laozi, who was very critical of the tendency to divide and individuate people in parts in his time, tried to lead the world and the people into a state of peace by presenting the worldview of the whole and universality.