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Examination of the two most significant sages in Chinese history and the disciples and schools that traced their origins to them. Close readings of texts attributed to Laozi and Confucius, the conflicting interpretations of their teachings throughout Chinese history, and the proliferation of schools that claimed to transmit their Tao. An eminent historian once said, “Every era has its own Confucius; it’s just that there are many different Confucius[es] in any one era.” This adage, as we shall see, applies to Laozi as well.