Topic one: Laozi, Daode Jing and Confucius

Which of the following is most and least likely to be true?
Confucius learned from Laozi.
Laozi wrote the Daode Jing.
Laozi went west and met "keeper of the pass" who requested him to write his dao.
Explain why in each case. Bonus: Is any item in A-C verifiable enough for someone to claim to "know" it?

The three basic facts about Laozi mentioned in the three items may be the merely facts we can find about Laozi in materials. Before responding to the required question, another relevant question should be considered at first, that is, who is Laozi. On this question, I more intend to support such a view that Laozi is not a single person existing in history but a group of person in history who together held the similar opinions as indicated in Daode Jing and finally formed the book together in the line of time. The reasons I have follow like this: Firstly, the term of Laozi could also be interpreted as "old (wise) man" except as the name of a person. This point indicates that Laozi may be used by descendants to refer some ancestor or ancestors who formed the book Daode Jing. Secondly, Laozi.Once the identification of Laozi is confirmed, responses to these items will be clear.

Confucius learned from Laozi. Indeed, evidence supporting this statement could be found in Analects and Taoist materials. It is understandable that versions from the two traditions are different on the same facts but


Laozi wrote the Daode Jing. As discussed above, the formulation of the book experienced a long time. Therefore we have reason to believe that the name of Laozi is used to refer to a group of persons who contributed to the book rather than a single person. Let's suppose this, the final version of the book was edited by a certain person who is certainly not Laozi, then who do he use the name to refer? There are possibilities. One is that Laozi refers to the person who initially put forth the basic idea of Daoist thoughts, but this ignores the fact that the book was indeed formed by all contributors and their contributions. The second one is that Laozi refers to a group of persons who contributed to the book anonymously.

Laozi went west and met "keeper of the pass" who requested him to write his dao. The keeper of the pass also means the god of death. Then, Laozi went west could also be understood as he passed away. Then the book is wrote before his death rather than he left to other place.

None of the three items could be verified by factual evidence. They are all stories told in a mysterious but historically way. Therefore, no body could be able to claim that he or she know they are true.