On Lao Tzu’s Ethics as the Inspiration and Practice of Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Ethics is at the core of education for sustainable development (ESD). Based on a literature review, this article discusses the inspiration and practice of Lao Tzu’s ethics in ESD. For this paper, a review was undertaken of the literature and three electronic databases were searched (Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar) from 1980 to 2022 to identify relevant research topics. The literature search strategy used keywords, titles, and abstracts to search for topics, including Lao Tzu (Taoist philosophy, ethics, Daodejing) and sustainable development education (administrative leadership, curriculum, teaching). Other related articles and books are also included in the bibliography. It was concluded that Lao Tzu’s “the Tao way follows nature” and “non-contention” can build a harmonious society; practicing “minimalism” can help achieve economic sustainability; and the concept of “the birth of the unborn” pioneers the coexistence of human beings and nature. Schools that practice ESD can apply Lao Tzu’s ethics to establish a sustainable and harmonious leadership relationship in the way of saints, and adopt a teacher–student interaction model that follows “the supreme good is like water” principle to establish ethical literacy and introduce ethics courses that are autonomous, interactive, and for the common good. Therefore, the exploration of Lao Tzu’s ethics allows Eastern thought to be at the core of the ethics and values of ESD, and provides practical insights into school administration, teaching, and curriculum implementation.