Lao Tzu was the first philosopher in Chinese history and the first ethicist known for his immorality. Therefore, Lao Tzu was labelled as an immoralist. But looking at the whole ethical thought system of Lao Tzu, Lao Tzu is not an immoralist, he did not completely deny morality. Although traces of denying certain human morality can be found in his "Tao De Jing", it is because he tried to lay the foundation for the natural morality he constructed, that is, "Tao" virtue; and then tried to make his metaphysical motivation, that is morality. The ideal clears away obstacles, in order to build a world of utmost virtue based on natural morality, and realize its metaphysical ideal of "small country with few people".

Weiguang Cheng. On the Metaphysical Motivation of Laozi's Non-morality. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2021), Vol. 3, Issue 1: 127-132. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2021.030116.

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