From here, the text deliberately contrasts Confucian ren (benevolence) with a broader impartiality. Confucius prized ren as humane concern, but Laozi warns that moral programs can slip into favoritism or display. He underlines this elsewhere: “When the great dao is abandoned, there is benevolence and righteousness” (Daodejing, ch. 18), implying that elaborate virtue-talk often compensates for lost naturalness. Later, Wang Bi (3rd c.) glossed “not benevolent” as “without partiality,” indicating a clarity that helps rather than a coldness that harms. The point is not to suppress kindness; it is to prevent kindness from becoming a tool of vanity, coercion, or selective compassion. [...]
