Existentialism vs Taoism
Existentialism and Taoism both reject any meaning imposed from outside — but Existentialism answers by asserting the self, creating meaning through deliberate choice, while Taoism answers by dissolving the self, surrendering striving to flow with the natural way (wu wei).
| Dimension | Existentialism | Taoism |
|---|---|---|
| The core problem | A universe without inherent meaning (the absurd) | A self at war with the natural flow |
| The response | Assert the self — create meaning by choosing | Dissolve the self — yield to the Tao |
| View of effort | Anguished, deliberate, willed | Effortless non-forcing (wu wei) |
| On the ego | The author of all value | The obstacle to be softened |
| Felt state | Responsible freedom, weighed with dread | Spontaneous ease, weighed with nothing |
The shared refusal
Both traditions refuse a meaning handed down from gods, society, or cosmic order. The Existentialist calls the silence "the absurd"; the Taoist simply never expected the universe to explain itself. From the same refusal they move in opposite directions.
Assert vs dissolve
Existentialism makes the self enormous — you are the sole author of your values, and that authorship is both your freedom and your burden. Taoism makes the self small — the striving, categorizing ego is exactly what blocks harmony, so the path is to loosen it until you move with the Tao rather than against it.
Will vs flow
Sartre's human is "condemned to be free," meaning every act is a weighted choice you cannot escape. Lao Tzu's sage acts through wu wei — accomplishing by not forcing, like water finding its level. One leans in with the will; the other steps back from it.
Two cures for the same ache
Both promise relief from a meaningless world. Existentialism relieves it by making your life *yours* — chosen, owned, authentic. Taoism relieves it by making your life *not a problem* — dropping the demand that it mean anything in the first place. Authorship versus acceptance, reached from a shared starting line.
The verdict
They answer the same question with opposite temperaments. Choose Existentialism if meaninglessness makes you want to build; choose Taoism if it makes you want to exhale. In practice many blend them — authoring what genuinely matters (Existentialist) while refusing to force the rest (Taoist).
Frequently asked
- Do Existentialism and Taoism agree on anything?
- Yes — both deny that meaning is built into the universe and both reject living by inherited rules. They diverge only on the response: create meaning (Existentialism) versus dissolve the need for it (Taoism).
- Which is more passive, Taoism or Existentialism?
- Taoism looks more passive through wu wei (non-forcing), but it is active harmony, not inaction. Existentialism is relentlessly active — every moment demands a chosen, owned response.
- Can the absurd be answered by wu wei?
- In a sense, yes. Where Camus answers the absurd with defiant revolt, a Taoist answers it by ceasing to treat it as a problem — flowing with what is rather than rebelling against it.
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Editorial synthesis © ReadGlobe 2026, drawing on Being and Nothingness, The Myth of Sisyphus, the Tao Te Ching, and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. · Last reviewed 2026-05-29.