You&#x27;re confusing the Dao of heaven with the Dao of sages, to borrow from Dao Chapter 81. That is to say, you&#x27;re confusing Daoism as a practicable and political philosophy (à la Chapter 19, Chapter 80) with Daoism as a metaphysical position (à la Chapter 1).<p>Their actionable practice is to teach the common man and governors some amount of detachment.<p>Their metaphysical position, the one the Dao mentions less, is one of a foundational non-being --<p>&quot;The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth&quot;,<p>&quot;What does &#x27;the greatest misfortune is the self&#x27; mean?
The reason I have great misfortune is that I have the self. If I have no self, what misfortune do I have?&quot;,<p>and particularly nihilist:
&quot;Heaven and Earth are impartial, they regard myriad things as straw dogs. The sages are impartial, they regard people as straw dogs.&quot; (Straw dogs meaning straw effigies of dogs burnt during holidays.)<p>I&#x27;m arguing that their metaphysical position (not their actionable practice) if followed to the end, with the addition of a modern knowledge of physics and biology and so on, ultimately leads one to a metaphysical nihilism.