Taoism is the first major philosophical and religious tradition explored by Peter Marshall, in his book Nature's Web. Marshall calls Taoism "the way of nature", emphasizing that it is the ideal religion from the point of view of ecological sensitivity. Passivity is a key element of Taoist thought and is a concept repeated in the main Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching. The concept of passivity emphasizes that the wise person will not attempt to bring about changes in their world, but rather will be receptive and allow natural changes to occur, as nature does. Other Taoist principles regarding government, society, life and death arise from this concept. Marshall views this religion as the necessary foundation for an ecologically healthy world and way of life, which is why he makes it the foundation of his book. However, Marshall's views may not be entirely realistic when considering the practicality of philosophy in our modern ecological crisis. Taoism follows a very different idea of ​​the "chain of being" than other major religions (i.e. Hinduism, Judeo-Christian, Islam), which is very important considering the ecological sensitivity that results from it. Contrary to a worldview of God over man and nature, Taoism states: Human beings follow the Earth. The Earth follows the Sky. Heaven follows the Tao. The Tao follows the way things are. (Tao Te Ching, 25) This is important because Taoist thought pushes humans to place themselves below everything, especially the world, but also other people. The wise person will put the needs of others before his own.