A Scientific Interpretation of Laozi's Philosophy

bstract The Daodejing of Laozi stands as one of the most profound cosmological texts in the history of human philosophy. Its central propositions — 'The Dao begets One; One begets Two; Two begets Three; Three begets the Ten Thousand Things' and 'Humanity follows Earth; Earth follows Heaven; Heaven follows the Dao; the Dao follows what is Natural' — have long been regarded as poetic metaphysics, rather than as an epistemological framework capable of genuine dialogue with modern science. This paper advances and defends a central claim: this ancient cosmogonic sequence not only resonates deeply with the most advanced systems science, complexity science, and astrophysics of the twentieth century, but can receive a precise and rigorous scientific reconstruction within the context of modern cosmology. Employing the dual methods of comparative philosophy and philosophy of science, this paper focuses on substantive dialogue between two contemporary theoretical systems. The first is the systems science–Daoist convergence framework constructed by Austrian-born theoretical physicist Fritjof Capra in The Tao of Physics (1975) and The Web of Life (1996). The second is the Lao- Yang Genesis Cosmology (老-杨创世纪宇宙观) founded by Charles X. Yang. The former represents the Western path of 'science converging toward Laozi': departing from quantum mechanics, dissipative structures theory, autopoiesis theory, and Gaia theory, Capra discovers astonishing structural parallels between modern science and Daoist cosmological intuition. The latter represents the Eastern path of 'Laozi converging toward science': the Lao-Yang Cosmology takes the Daodejing's generative sequence as its philosophical framework, and the Galactic Habitable Zone constraint, solar system formation, the giant lunar impact, and the Sun-Earth-Moon three-body stabilization mechanism as its scientific pillars, constructing a five-level cosmogonic model spanning from the Milky Way to human civilization. The central thesis of this paper is that these two paths constitute a framework of Two-Way Convergence for understanding the logic of cosmic self- organization, mutually corroborating and deeply complementing each other in addressing the fundamental question of how the cosmos organizes itself. This paper does not characterize the Lao-Yang Cosmology as a historical textual restoration of the Daodejing, but rather positions it as a Generative Cosmological Interpretive Framework grounded in modern astrophysics and complexity science. The conclusion of this paper is that Capra accomplished the West's conscious return of science to Daoist wisdom, while the Lao-Yang Cosmology accomplished the creative elevation of Daoist philosophy toward modern cosmological science. Their convergence not only opens a substantive dialogue channel for twenty-first-century comparative philosophy that transcends mere cultural analogy, but provides a dual scientific-philosophical foundation for humanity's transition from the paradigm of mechanical conquest to the paradigm of Natural Civilization — cherishing life, restraining greedy desires, and aligning with the Cosmic Order.