The Short of It:
Events cause chaos, not incorrect labels.
18. Vulgar Attenuation.
When the Great Tau is missed, then [people] pass on to philanthropy and justice.
It is after wisdom has conferred renown, that there are great shams.
After discord has arisen in families, what are called filial duty and [parental] compassion begin.
And it is not till a nation has got into a disordered state that there are patriots (faithful ministers).
18. ‘The Decay of Manners.’
18.1 When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. (Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.
18.2 When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial [children] found their manifestation; when the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers appeared.
18. the palliation of vulgarity.
18.1 When the great Reason is obliterated, we have benevolence and justice. Prudence and circumspection appear, and we have much hypocrisy.
18.2 When family relations no longer harmonize, we have filial piety and [parental] devotion. When the country and the clans decay through disorder, we have loyalty and allegiance.
The Long of It:
Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching gives us a deeper dive into the danger of subjective categories (see also Chapter 2).
Only the absence of subjective states (like justice, wisdom, filial piety, patriotism, etc.), gives birth to subjective states. We crave order, so we try to solve chaos by looking for the mistakes that immediately precede it. Then we (or the faithful ministers as Chalmers puts it) label those mistakes.
Individual and societal circumstances determine chaos and order. Labels (which mean different things to different people) do not control circumstances or, more importantly, people.
-TB
