language of thought See MEANING, MENTALESE,. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAG. Lao Tzu (sixth century B.C.), Chinese philosopher traditionally thought to be a contemporary of Confucius and the author of the Tao Te Ching (‘Classic of tao and te’). Most contemporary scholars hold that ‘Lao Tzu’ is a composite of legendary early sages, and that the Tao Te Ching is an anthology, a version of which existed no earlier than the third century B.C. The Tao Te Ching combines paradoxical mysticism with hardheaded political advice (Han Fei Tzu wrote a commentary on it) and a call to return to a primitive utopia, without the corrupting accoutrements of civilization, such as ritual (li), luxury items, and even writing. In its exaltation of spontaneous action and denigration of Confucian virtues such as jen, the text is reminiscent of Chuang Tzu, but it is distinctive both for its style (which is lapidary to the point of obscurity) and its political orientation. Translations of the Tao Te Ching are based on either the Wang Pi text or the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui text. See also NEO-TAO- ISM , TAOIS. B.W.V.N.