When man attempts to push it or pull it one way or the other, disasters of various sorts will ensue. The Tao holds, then, that the human being in his natural state, as an individual or gathered together as members of an empire, intuitively knows who he is, what to do, what not to do.
In this respect, the Mo Tzu, again, could not present a view of greater contrast to the Tao. To Mo Tzu, the human being in the natural state is a wild and selfish creature who must be controlled, by force if necessary, lest he and his fellow wild creatures unleash chaos upon the land. In one passage, Mo Tzu expresses what he calls his "doctrine of universal love." He imagines arguments against his policy in order to present his views: "How is it to be put into practice?" he is asked, answering, "The rulers can be persuaded of its usefulness, and they in turn will enforce it among the people by laws and coercion" (Watson 10). The
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