Question

Your roommate has decided that he wants to learn about the life stories of major world religions' founders, so he goes to the library and checks out the most recent translation of the Daodejing so that he can study the life of Laozi to understand his miraculous birth, his celebrated bureaucratic career, and his eventual journey over the mountains on an ox to leave China. Which statement below BEST explains the problem with your roommate's plan?

A) The Daodejing does not contain biographical information about Laozi.
B) The story of Laozi's life is a later addition and not found in the original text.
C) Laozi is a mythical figure and his life story is not documented.
D) The Daodejing does not exist in the form of a book.

Answer 1

The Daodejing does not contain biographical information about Laozi, and his existence as a historical figure is debated, thus studying it will not inform your roommate about Laozi's life.

Step-by-step explanation:

The primary issue with your roommate's plan to study Laozi's life story through the Daodejing is that this classic text does not provide biographical details about Laozi. The Daodejing is a compilation of philosophical aphorisms and teachings associated with Daoism and isn't meant to serve as a historical account of Laozi's life. Moreover, the existence of Laozi as a historical figure is a matter of debate among scholars, and much of what is referred to as his life story is shrouded in mythology and developed over time rather than being part of the original text.