Lao-Tzu (l. c. 500 BCE, also known as Laozi or Lao-Tze) was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism. He is best known as the author of the Laozi (later retitled the Tao-Te-Ching translated as “The Way of Virtue” or “The Classic of the Way and Virtue”) the work which exemplifies his thought. The name by which he is known is not a personal name but an honorific title meaning ‘Old Man’ or ‘Old Master’ and the debate continues as to whether an individual by that name ever existed or whether Lao-Tzu is an amalgam of many different philosophers.
