通常大眾都認為人生必須剛強、卓越，但是老子卻以柔弱、謙退做為人生準則。這是為了什麼？其與眾不同的論點，是否意謂著：老子的觀察與思考，與大眾並不相同？本文針對此項疑問展開考察，首先探求老子對事理的基本認識，以了解老子觀察、思考的特點，然後討論老子揭示之人生準則，是否蘊藏「反」之義理，並嘗試說明老子為何提出不同於眾的人生哲學。

Generally speaking, people believe that one should regard stiffness and excellence as principles of life. Laozi, on the contrary, upholds mildness and modesty instead. This study explores whether such standpoint is an indication that Laozi views this world very differently compared to others. To gain a better insight into this question and to understand Laozi’s way of thinking, this study first explicates Laozi’s point of view concerning how things operate. The study then discusses whether Laozi’s principle of life contains the meaning of reverse, and goes on to provide an explanation of the reason behind Laozi’s unique philosophy of life.