Try free for 30 days

  • The Canon of Reason and Virtue

  • Lao-Tze’s Tao Teh King
  • By: Lao Tzu
  • Narrated by: Denis Daly
  • Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Canon of Reason and Virtue cover art

The Canon of Reason and Virtue

By: Lao Tzu
Narrated by: Denis Daly
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

This enigmatic scripture is attributed to the mysterious sage Lao Tze, who is believed to have lived in the sixth century BCE. In the present translation by religious scholar Paul Carus, the title is presented as The Canon of Reason and Virtue, and in the body of the text Carus renders the word usually translated as “Tao” as “reason.”

This book is an extract from the author’s larger work, Lao-Tze’s Tao Teh King. The latter contained an historical introduction, the Chinese text, a transliteration, explanatory notes and an index, including the Chinese terms. The present text is limited to that portion which would have been of universal interest to the English-speaking world, the English translation.

Carus noted that the term Tao (word, reason) corresponded quite closely with the Greek term Logos, which is featured in the Gospel of John. Carus also found correspondences with other Christian concepts such as the ethics of requiting hatred with goodness, the return to primitive simplicity and purity, and the power of non-resistance.

Originally published in 1903.

Public Domain (P)2023 Voices of Today

What listeners say about The Canon of Reason and Virtue

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.