[From Chinese tao: track, path, way.]
(ethics) An ancient strand of Chinese ethical thinking that stressed the inherent untrustworthiness of appearances, the unity of the real world behind the appearances, the necessity of understanding this real unity spontaneously, the cultivation of one's character so that one could become a free spirit, living according to nature, an ideal of non-activity ("we-wei") that is best understood as doing nothing that is contrary to nature or to your own native character, a focus on inner peace and lack of disturbance, and a kind of libertarian political outlook. In general, Taoism was a reaction against the more conservative and action-oriented tradition of Confucianism, and later forms of Taoism borrowed heavily from Buddhism.