According to Taoism, due to the complexity and diversity of the real world economy, governments will come across great difficulties in playing the role of an omnipotent and objective economic system manager. To cope with the changing economic environment, it will be wiser to follow the spontaneous market order and principles of competition rather than attempting to artificially manage the economy.
The economy is a system in which diverse agents interact with each other. It rises above artificial manipulation. The government, recognizing the complexity and diversity of the economy, should adapt to its nature. The economy is not a system that the government can operate by control. It is a system in which continual search and evolution take place. A passage in Taoism reads ‘The world [economy] is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering’.