On the whole, the modern western attitude has been to regard nature as an antagonist, an object to be squared off against, dominated, controlled, conquered. Taoism's attitude is opposite of this. There is a profound naturalism in Taoist thought, but it is the naturalism of a Rousseau, a Wadsworth, a Thoreau, not that of a Galileo or Bacon. Those who would take over the earth And shape it to their will Never, I notice, succeed. And when they reach out their fingers it is gone.
Nature is to be befriended.
Taoism seeks atonement with nature, not dominance. The ecological approach of Taoism has inspired many Western architects, most notably Frank Lloyd Wright. Taoist temples do not stand out from their surroundings. They nestle against the hills, back under the trees, blending in with the environment. At best, human beings do likewise.