The good and honest people are ignored, while spineless flatterers are advanced. From the Three Dynasties down to the present day it has been like this. This is the consequence for the world of seeking after knowledge. There is no humble insect, not even any plant, that has not lost its innate nature. It is as if the brightness of the sun and moon had been eclipsed above, while down below the hills and streams have lost their power, as though the natural flow of t he four seasons had been broken. This is what causes such immense confusion.

Everything in the world knows how to condemn what they dislike, but do not know how to condemn what they have which is wrong. Everything in the world knows how to seek for knowledge that they do not have, but do not know how to find what they already know. In the same way, the versatility needed to produce rhetoric, to plot and scheme, spread rumors and debate pointlessly, to dust off arguments and seek apparent agreement, is also considerable, but the result is that the people are confused. So everything under Heaven is in a state of distress, all because of the pursuit of knowledge. A great deal of knowledge is needed to make traps, snares and nets, but the result is that the animals are disturbed and seek refuge in marshy lands. A great deal of knowledge is needed to make fishing lines, traps, baits and hooks, but the result is that the fish disperse in distress in the water. How do I know about all this? A great deal of knowledge is needed to make bows, crossbows, nets, arrows and so forth, but the result is that the birds fly higher in distress.

If those in authority search for knowledge, but without the Tao, everything under Heaven will be in terrible confusion. From the chapter ‘Broken Suitcases’ from The Book of Chuang Tzu, he talks about the mistakes we make in collecting the kind of knowledge that is short-sighted and transient. Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu, whose writings form one of the pillars of Taosim, took a dim view of much of human activity and the accumulation of power and knowledge, recommending instead the cultivation of a kind of wisdom in tune with the Tao, or the Way. With great power also comes great responsibility, but not always great wisdom.

Chuang tzu writings