Different Interpretations Of Fight Club

The Tao Te Ching is a book of proverbs attributed to Lao Tzu. The book gives brief contemplations on the Tao, the way. It is a very precise and poetic book, which gives humanity ways on how to live or ways to awaken the inner energy of the human being. A man or a woman can choose to live in harmony with the Tao, which is the irreducible essence of the universe and source of all life. “Wholeness is the Great Integrity. The Great Integrity is the infinite fulfilling itself.” The Tao is a living example that teaches us not only to wisely govern our lives, but also to direct either a country or the family. Therefore, he urges to live according to the Tao to fulfill our life goals, to choose to do well and to make wise decisions.

During what The Narrator calls dreams, the readers get introduced to his alter ego, Tyler Durden. Tyler is everything The Narrator desires to be. He is flamboyant and carefree. The Narrator has a jealous obsession with Tyler, unknown to his conscious mind, that Tyler and himself are the same person. The sex driven relationship Tyler has with Martha Singer proves this thought correct. Martha is infatuated with Tyler. The Narrator cannot stand that Martha gets more attention from Tyler than he does. The Narrator is still unaware to the fact that Tyler is actually himself and they share the same woman. The story often portrays Tyler as some sort of holy like symbol. In Fight Club Tyler often recites its rules, “The first rule about fight club is you don’t talk about fight club” (Palahniuk 48). The members of Fight Club will then recite the rules back as if Tyler is a preacher or a god leading a congregation. Justin Garrison writes in his article God's Middle Children' Metaphysical Rebellion in Chuck Palahniuk's

Tao Te Ching of Lao-Tzu is a book with many chapters in it showing the two different sides to basically everything. To break it down, Tao means “path” or “way”, Te means “to get”, and Ching means “great book”. So the Tao was the force that controlled the universe and appreciated the way, to find balance between opposites. The book, Tao Te Ching has been said to been written by a Laozi—an old master—and has been said that the true author (or authors’) name has been lost. In the chapters between the book it tells how to live a life of integrity and of greatness per say. It also has contradictions or paradoxes which allows us to see the both perspectives of each side. It shows us that there are always two sides to everything. Tao Te Ching

After researching potential cultures and religions, I chose to do my project on Taoism, also known as Daoism. Taoism doesn’t have an absolute being such as Christianity with god. Instead, Taoism follows Tao which is “the source of creation, the ultimate, the inexpressible and indefinable, the unnamable, the natural universe as a whole, and the way of nature as a whole.” Tao is everything and nothing by including the universe but being intangible at the same time. I still find it difficult to completely wrap my head around this term. The most prominent part of Taoism which is also part of Tao, is Yin Yang, which are a principle of two opposite forces working in harmony. Taoists also have a collection of texts and teachings known as the Daozang.

The origins of Taoism has become an extremely hard task for scholars to assemble, due to the massive size in canon. However they have found a way to focus on the beginning of taoism through scriptures. Through Taoism they have found that taoist have taken to and responded more to, the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Ching is a book that uses both philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism. This book is considered the “fountainhead” of most Taoist scripture, paving the way for Taoist. The book allows Taoist to reflect on the “way” (Tao) [Dow] and “power”

Dubbing himself Occult Master of Great Purity, Master Zhang Dao-Ling was one of the many contributors to a widespread Chinese religion known as Taoism; it has been argued as not being a religion but, more of a “way” – hence the Chinese translation of “Tao,” which means way or “path.” It is guidance towards further understanding the phenomenon of existence and purpose as well as achieving happiness. Taoism has been seen as “…one of the three pillars of Chinese thought… they are abstractions – what they name are not monolithic but multifaceted traditions with fuzzy boundaries” (Stanford Encyc. Of Philosophy, Laozi). It is often interchangeable with Daoism and defined more in a philosophical sense by some scholars while others define it as a

First and foremost, the crucial point of Laozi’s view is Tao, whose concept can be described as the general principle of everything in this universe. Though Tao, in Laozi’s own words, is unnameable, it is believed to be the origin of the universe. Yin and yang, the two basic elements in Chinese culture, derive from Tao and become the unity

In Chinese culture Yin-Yang was very important to them and three terms they followed and understood are, first yin-yang is the coherent fabric of nature and mind. Second, Yin-yang is the interaction of the growing and fading in the cosmic and human realms. The third and final term is Yin-yang is perceived as a method of togetherness making sure there is a continuous balance between all things. As the Zhuangzi (Chang-tzu) says “The highest for Yin is freezing as Yang highest for would be boiling. Zhuangzi or better known as Master Zhang has the understanding that the coldness comes from the Heavens and the warmth comes from the Earth. With the way these two intertwine it forms peace, so in a way it gives life to all things. Even though nothing is seen this may be the law for everything.”(Zhuangzi, Chapter 21).

Taoism follows a philosophy about the proper path in life and especially in accordance to nature’s way (62). It has exceeded cultural and historical limit and became widely read by masses over centuries and has exerted a huge change on their ways of lives. I found the document, however, confusing and not easy to understand the underlying principles that hold the whole of it together. In the introductory aspect of it, it is described as chaos, in the sense that it is undifferentiated oneness (61). The oneness described by Lao Tzu is a two sided and complex energy of being and non-being. As it is described, the non-being is inexhaustible and not limited “the Tao that can be mentioned is not eternal Tao” (61). The non-being is powerful over the

During the study of the three philosophical works presented, I have determined that Tao appeals to me. I feel that the principles of Tao regarding peace, balance, and resolution of conflict best define how I want to live in my day to day life, and if practiced in others, it would make our world a better place to live.

The concepts of yin and yang are central to Chinese religion and philosophy as a whole, including both Taoism and Confucianism. Moreover, the symbol itself is familiar worldwide to many people regardless of their knowledge of the Chinese traditions.

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu talks about Tao, which is the way. It existed right from the very beginning, it is like a natural law, and can never be fully understood. The famous symbols of Tao are water, the female, and the infant. We are to learn lessons from these. Water is beneficial to all, and it dwells in low places. It is natural, and willing to be the lowest amongst all, this is why it is so close to Tao. The natural is always superior to the artificial. The female is gentle, flexible and brings life into this world, and this is the same with Tao because it is the mother of all creations, and it is never used up. The strength of males are perceived strengths, while the gentleness and flexibility of females are actual strengths. In Taoism, the female is superior to the male. The infant symbolizes weakness, and this attribute is also closer to Tao.

Yin and Yang is a Taoist concept of opposites. Yin is dark, still and cold, while Yang is bright, lively, and warm. Yin is female and Yang is male. Both forces have to be balanced or else the body will suffer. For instance, to balance Yin and Yang, a person should eat healthy (Manojlovic). Qi is the “the foundation of a balanced mind and

It has been embedded in Chinese psyche that nature is a powerful force which nurtures life and human beings but could also be unpredictable, uncontrollable and terribly devastating. Always bearing in mind the incredible power of nature, early Chinese noticed the perpetual transformation and interchange between all elements in the universe in order to inhibit, to support, to impact and to impulse each other’s development and expansion. Therefore, it is a common belief among most Chinese that harmony is the essence of life and all living beings coordinate under the natural laws of the universe. This ancient cosmology leads us to the concept of yin and yang, a famous Chinese philosophy explaining the balance of all elements in the universe.

Fight Club is a movie based on the book of the same name written by Chuck Palahniuk. It was released in 1999 as a film directed by David Fincher. The film, when first shown in theaters, did poorly falling well short of what 20th Century Fox’s expectations were. The major problem that the film had was its negativity toward women with such lines as, “we are a generation of men raised by women”, as well as its portrayal of the film’s leading female character Marla Singer who is seemingly the root of all the nameless main character’s problems. By contrast in the movie are told to take back their masculinity and fight. After the film’s release to home video, a cult following quickly grew. A concern that sprouted from the film was that there