The Philosophy Behind Technology: Taoism, the I Ching, and Real-World Engineering (With Practical Examples)

Philosophy Before Code

Before diving into technical concepts like message queues and middleware, let’s take a step back and explore how ancient philosophies like Taoism and the I Ching can help us think more clearly － especially in complex technical systems.

The I Ching Way of Thinking

Imagine you need to explain what a “turtle” is to people from different countries. You could spend years learning all their languages － or you could simply draw a picture of a turtle. Everyone understands it. That’s the I Ching way: simplify and express meaning visually or symbolically. It’s about finding a common language that cuts through complexity.

The Taoist Mindset

In Taoism, hard work alone is not enough － especially when it means mindless repetition or physical exhaustion. True effectiveness comes from deep understanding, calm observation, and seeing the essence beneath the surface.

Example:
Remember those hard geometry questions in school? You probably knew all the formulas, but still couldn’t solve them. Why? Because the trick was knowing where to draw the extra line—the insight behind the formulas. This is what Taoism would call “inner strength” or wisdom.

Summary

In any complex system—like software architecture or debugging—we should:

• Use Taoist thinking to find the underlying principles (the “Dao”),
• Use the I Ching mindset to simplify complex information into visual or conceptual models,
• Understand that knowledge is external (skills, tools, syntax),
• But wisdom is internal (insight, judgment, understanding).
  That internal power is called awakening.