A few Western intellectuals, who first came into contact with the thought of Lao Tzu after the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century CE, had discovered that this is a book of "spiritual simplicity which deals neither in speculative cosmogony nor in popular superstition." In the past twenty six centuries, Lao Tzu*s philosophy, in loose and strict forms alike, has widely impacted Chinese of all walks of life, directly and indirectly. Confucious* influence, by contrast, was confined mainly on mainstream intellectuals and civil servants. However, Lao Tzu*s simple and down-to-earth tone of voice is like a piece of great music which appeals to both farmers and sophisticated scholars forthrightly. The melody his book plays out assures us the worthiness of the pursuit of supreme wisdom, i.e. true knowledge, virtue, and liberty. The unrelenting yearning his writing had emanated, for realistic self-dependence, universal compassion and ascendence of human beings, had strengthened countless sufferring souls. His wisdom glitters especially when the going is tough. Since the eighteenth century CE, many European intellectuals showed strong interest in Lao Tzu. For instance, Leo Tolstoy considered it one of a few his most valued books; he has also translated the book into Russian himself. Nietzsche and Eugene O*Neill expressed their admiration too. Quantum physicist Niel Bohr and psychologist Carl Jung were also among Lao Tzu*s admirers.

Personally I know that the greatest philosopher of our century, Sir Karl Popper did have a very strong interest in finding out what did Lao Tzu really say. Like Bertarand Russell he was deeply impressed of something stated by Lao Tzu. Our short five years* acquaintance was held together by our mutual interests in Lao Tzu. For instance, Lao Tzu had advocated open society by saying, "people would not feel their lives are cheap and unbearable if they are not oppressed and restricted." The thought of Lao Tzu is powerful on two fronts-intellectual and emotional. This explains why he was thought to be religious by both Buddhists and Christians. Nevertheless, he was most appropriately described as "a great philosopher", by a Western philosopher named Paul Carus(1852-1919), who was the pioneer of the philosophical wisdom of the East among his peers, as well as a philosopher with profound religious spirit.

Many people, especially in the West, have unwittingly confused two kinds of Taoism as one and the same, namely religious Taoism and philosophical Taoism. Even though these two have being been unfortunately sharing the same name, they are in truth as drastically different as day and night. Half century ago, staff writers on Taoism(aka Daoism) of The Encyclopedia Britainica have already crucially discerned the sharp distinctions between the philosophical Taoism and the religious Taoism as follows:

"The term Taoism has two meanings (1)The philosophical system attributed to Lao Tzu(b. 604 BC) and Chuang Tzu(b. 330 BC); (2)The popular religion of the Chinese...It(Taoism philosophy) advocates frugality simplicity and joy of peasant life in contact with soil. The Taoist philosophy is responsible for that remarkable trait of the Chinese, namely their contentment in situations which offer a minimum comfort and their prizing culture above possession."

This acute description of two extreme breeds of Taoism seemed have been summarily ignored by some scholarly writings on Taoism. Even though Taoist religion has being been very popular in Chinese-speaking societies, it is a religion without theology, as well as the opiate of semi-literate masses.