Rules of Composition: A Mereological Examination of the Dao-You Relation

From an ontological standpoint, it generally can be stated that what constitutes a signature feature of Daoism, as presented in the Daodejing 道德經, is the relation between dao 道 and you 有. Therefore, it is highly important how these fundamental elements of Daoist ontology are conceived; their conceptualization organizes the whole ontological model that can be reconstructed based on the Daodejing.In this article, I would like to propose a plausible analysis of the relation that views dao and you in mereological terms, which can be successfully achieved by a monistically oriented mereology. This approach can lead to a coherent reconstruction of Daoist ontology in the Daodejing, and concurrently remain consistent with...