In Print: ‘Laozi’s “Daodejing”: A New Translation With Environmentalist Commentary’

Publication title

Laozi’s “Daodejing”: A New Translation With Environmentalist Commentary

Purdue author

Steve Hallett

Publisher

Purdue University Press

Publication date

Dec. 15, 2025

About the book (from the publisher)

“Laozi’s ‘Daodejing’: A New Translation With Environmentalist Commentary” offers a new translation and fresh interpretation of the 81-verse “Daodejing,” one of the central texts of Eastern philosophy. Likely written during the late Zhou Dynasty between 600-400 B.C.E., this foundational work is generally attributed to an individual named Laozi, although it is unlikely that any such person existed. Author Steve Hallett employs contemporary poetic form when translating the document’s approximately 5,000 Chinese characters and provides short analytical essays that illuminate the verses with a specific focus on the teachings they offer about social and environmental sustainability. His examination of this 2,500-year-old text suggests that perhaps not all our modern crises are as modern as they seem: Much of what ails us today may involve the same foolishness that has ailed us for millennia. Ultimately, this timely study posits that lessons from the past can help us avoid making hasty decisions related to the environment and show us how to chart a calmer, more patient and more persistent path toward a just and sustainable future.

About the Purdue author

Steve Hallett is a professor of horticulture and co-director of the Purdue Student Farm. He is also a faculty mentor to the Sustainable Food and Farming Systems degree program. Hallett is interested in the use of poetry and book-length fiction and nonfiction in environmental communication, particularly in subjects related to global change and sustainable agriculture.

About the In Print series

To celebrate our faculty’s excellence in scholarship, Purdue Today’s weekly book series highlights faculty expertise across diverse subjects and disciplines. Find out more about the Purdue University Books Initiative and how to suggest a book for the In Print series on the Office of the Provost website.