People may question the value or use of Taoism. They may ask why they should take Taoism seriously. They may question the value of the concepts and precepts discovered and established by ancient Taoist masters. There are people who may have a vague notion of what Taoism is and may relate it to a historical religion, witchcraft or astrology, but such an inaccurate surface level understanding does not allow people to embrace the true knowledge of Taoism  to change their destiny.

There are many good reasons for studying what Taoists have revealed in the past. A major reason is that we cannot separate the history of Taoism from that of the history of humanity. Taoism is largely a discussion about matters relating to the universe and life which the secular world holds opposing opinions on. As knowledge increases and as scientific advances progress, the study of Taoism should be embraced to promote both inspiration and flexibility of mind. People are inclined to take certain general ideas for granted and refer to such ideas as common sense. Taoist’s do not follow the ways of the secular world as per this accepted model. Taoism can be explained as a key idea in the theory of survival of the fittest.

A modern day scientist is apt to think that all the problems confronted by humanity will ultimately be solved by science. From a Taoist point of view, this is not true for a great multitude of questions which science still struggles with. For example, deadly human diseases still affect us across the whole world while machinery and technology has progressed to an unprecedented level. Science cannot address the future in certainties. We have to prepare for the future and we cannot do so rationally without a Taoist approach. Some people say that culture, religion or God will both determine and shape the future, others say that the course of the future is certain whatever efforts we may make.

Taoist’s believe that the future depends on ourselves, even though we live in the secular world. We need Taoism to help us to prepare for the future. Agnosticism easily becomes an excuse for laziness and conservatism. Whether we adopt Taoism or any other beliefs, we cannot understand these beliefs without understanding their origins. That is why knowledge of the history of Taoism is important to modern people, even during this age of significant scientific advancement.