 On this view, Confucius and Laozi were both “Daoists,” in the non-partisan sense of the term. Neo-Daoist philosophers set forth the truth of Dao as they understood it in a broad synthesis, bringing together ontology, cosmology, ethics, and political philosophy, and breaking down partisan divides along the way. Convinced of the unity of the classics, they attempted to provide an integral account of the one “Daoist” tradition. Crossing swords in debate, competing in offering new readings of the classics, reacting against and influenced by one another—in this crisscrossing of ideas, Xuanxue flourished.