"A Little State with a Small Population" and Laozi's Political Ideal:From the Perspective of the Activity and Return of Everything
The quotation"a little state with a small population"from Chapter 80 of Laozi is widely recognized as a crystallization of Laozi's political ideals.However,a growing number of scholars are reexamining this prevailing interpretation.It is mentioned just once in Laozi,but its spirit permeates the work,with kindred concepts threaded throughout the other chapters."The state of vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree,and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigor".Laozi espouses them as pathways to understand the true nature of all things,encapsulated by the ideas that"all things alike go through their processes of activity"and"each of them returns to its root".The simplicity of"a little state with a small population"symbolizes the return following the evolution of society and this is the ideal political model envisioned by Laozi.The return of all things hinges on Dao,and in human civilization,the ruler is tasked with the duty of"facilitating the natural development of all things".The concept of"a little state with a small population"elaborates on the governance of non-interference by"facilitating the natural development of all things".Reflecting on the social milieu of his time,Laozi also envisioned governance principles for a"great state".His insights for"a little state with a small population"and for a"great state"are not in conflict.
A Little State with a Small PopulationLaoziPolitical IdealGovernance of Non-interferenceOrder of All under Heaven
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