Re-imagining Tao: Scientific, Mathematical, and Philosophical Inquiries into the Cosmic Order

Re-imagining Tao

Scientific, Mathematical, and Philosophical Inquiries into the Cosmic Order

In an era of hyper-specialization, generative artificial intelligence, and complex systemic crises, modern science and philosophy increasingly meet boundaries that traditional reductionist paradigms struggle to cross. The ancient concept of Tao (道) — the foundational principle of Chinese philosophy — offers a holistic, dynamic, and generative framework for understanding structure, emergence, and metaphysics.

The interdisciplinary journal TAO invites scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers to enter a rigorous cross-disciplinary dialogue with the classical wisdom of Tao. This Special Issue aims to move beyond literary exposition by reinterpreting, formalizing, and extending the core tenets of Tao's metaphysics within modern mathematical systems, theoretical sciences, logical frameworks, and contemporary philosophical discourse.

We welcome original research articles, review articles, and conceptual papers on the following themes (the list is indicative, not exhaustive).

1. Ontology of Tao

• What is Tao when viewed through modern philosophical, ontological, and systems-theoretic lenses?
• How does it compare with foundational principles in Western metaphysics?

2. Emergence and Dynamics

(Tao produces One, One produces Two, Two produces Three, Three produces All Things. 道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物 )

• How can this classical generative sequence be formalized with modern mathematical tools, such as set theory, category theory, bifurcation theory, complex systems, or fractal geometry?
• What does the sequence imply for cosmology and quantum state evolution?

3. Cosmic Hierarchies and Epistemology

(Man models Earth, Earth models Heaven, Heaven models Tao, Tao models Nature. 人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然 )

• What recursive and scale-invariant relations link human cognition, material systems, physical laws, and natural order?
• How can “Self-so-ness” or “Nature” (Zi-ran, 自然) redefine our understanding of self-organizing systems and natural laws?

4. The Unity of Humanity and Nature (Tian-Ren-He-Yi, 天人合一)

• What are the philosophical, ecological, and technological implications of humanity–nature unity in the Anthropocene and in the age of post-humanism and AI?

5. Tao, Science, and Natural Philosophy

• How does Tao's dynamic wholeness interact with quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and information theory?

6. Tao, Mathematics, and Logic

• Can non-classical logics — dialetheism, paraconsistent, fuzzy, or intuitionistic logic — formalize the paradoxes and dialectics inherent in Tao?

7. Cosmological, Epistemic, and Existential Dimensions

• How does a triadic reading of Tao reshape contemporary cosmology (the Universe), epistemology (the World), and ethics and existential thought (Life)?

To safeguard academic quality and fit with the issue's vision, we use a two-stage process.

Stage 1 — Extended abstract (strongly recommended)

Please send a preliminary proposal to the Guest Editor, Dr. Charles X. Yang, before writing the full manuscript. This gives you early feedback on fit with the theme. Include:

• Extended abstract: 500–800 words
• Keywords: 4–6
• Author bio: up to 100 words per author

Send by email to Charles.X.Yang@gmail.com with the subject line “CFP Submission Proposal: [Your Article Title]”.

Stage 2 — Full manuscript (by invitation)

Authors whose abstracts are approved by the Guest Editor will be invited to submit a full manuscript through the journal's online system: https://www.editorialmanager.com/tao/Default.aspx. All full manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review, so please anonymize the manuscript file.