Mohism (Chinese: 墨家; pinyin: Mòjiā; literally "School of Mo") or Moism is a Chinese philosophy founded by Mozi. It evolved at about the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Hundred Schools of Thought). It disappeared during the Qin dynasty. Mozi's philosophy was described in the book Mozi, compiled by his students from lecture notes. Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Yin Yang symbol and Ba gua paved in a clearing outside of Nanning City, Guangxi province, China. ... Mozi (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Mo Tzu, Lat. ... Wenmiao Temple, a Confucian Temple in Wuwei, Gansu, Peoples Republic of China. ... Taoism (Daoism) is the English name referring to a variety of related Chinese philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. ... Legalism, in the Western sense, is an approach to the analysis of legal questions characterized by abstract logical reasoning focusing on the applicable legal text, such as a constitution, legislation, or case law, rather than on the social, economic, or political context. ... The Hundred Schools of Thought (諸子百家 Pinyin: zhÅ« zǐ bÇŽi jiā) was an era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China that lasted from 770 BCE to 222 BCE. Coinciding with the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and also known as the Golden Age of Chinese thought... Qin empire in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded... For other uses, see Student (disambiguation). ...

Important beliefs

Morality

In Mohism, morality is defined not by tradition, but rather by a constant moral guide that parallels utilitarianism. Tradition is inconsistent, and human beings need an extra-traditional guide to identify which traditions are acceptable. The moral guide must then promote and encourage social behaviors that maximize general utility. He also believed in the 2nd law and was in conflict with the ancients. This article discusses utilitarian ethical theory. ...

Love

Mohism promotes a philosophy of universal love - an equal affection for all individuals.^[1] This universal love is what makes man good according to him. This advocacy of universal love was a target of attack by other schools, most notably the Confucians who believed that while love should be unconditional it should not be indiscriminate. For example, children should hold a greater love for their parents than for random strangers. He also had many conflicts with Confucian ideas.

Society

Mozi posited that the existence of society as an organized organism reduces the wastes and inefficiencies found in the natural state. Conflicts are born from the absence of moral uniformity found in man in his natural state, i.e. the absence of the definition of what is right (是 shì) and what is wrong (非 fēi). We must therefore choose leaders who will surround themselves with righteous followers, who will then create the hierarchy that harmonizes Shi/Fei. In that sense, the government becomes an authoritative and automated tool. Mohism is opposed to any form of aggression, especially war between states. It is, however, permissible for a state to use force in legitimate defense. Mohist ideology has inspired some modern pacifists. For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ... Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes or gaining advantage. ...

Politics

In addition to creating a school of philosophy, the Mohists formed a highly structured political organization that tried to realize the ideas they preached. This political structure consisted of a network of local units in all the major kingdoms of China at the time, made up of elements from both the scholarly and working classes. Each unit was led by a juzi (literally, "chisel"—an image from craft making). Within the unit, a frugal and ascetic lifestyle was enforced. Each juzi would appoint his own successor. However, there was no central authority beyond the writings of Mozi. Mohists developed the sciences of fortification and statecraft, and wrote treatises on government, ranging in topic from efficient agricultural production to the laws of inheritance. They were often hired by the many warring kingdoms as advisors to the state. In this way they were similar to the other wandering philosophers and knights-errants of the period. They were distinguished from others, however, in that they hired out their services not only for gain, but also in order to realize their own ethical ideals. Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ...

Supernatural forces

Mohists believed in the heavens as a divine force (Tian), which knew the immoral acts of man and punished them, encouraging moral righteousness. Their belief in spirits was at best vague, but they were wary of some of the more atheistic thinkers of the time, such as Han Fei Zi. They polemicized against elaborate funeral ceremonies and other wasteful rituals, and called for austerity in life and in governance. Mohists also saw music and dance as forms of extravagance, which wasted resources that could be used to feed, house and protect the people. Tian (天 Pinyin Tiān) is the Chinese character for heaven or sky. ... Traditional Chinese: 韓非子 Simplified Chinese: 韩非子 Pinyin: Hán Fēizǐ Wade-Giles: Han Fei-tzu Han Feizi 韓非子 (d. ... For other uses, see Funeral (disambiguation). ...

San-biao

Mozi believed he had discovered san-biao (also known as the Three Gnomons) or the three criteria of assessing the correctness of views.^[1] These criteria were:

1. Assessing them basing on history
2. Assessing them basing on the experiences of common, average people
3. Assessing their usefulness by applying them in law or politics ^[1]

The Logicians

One of the schools of Mohism that has received some attention is the Logicians school, which was interested in resolving logical puzzles. The main philosopher of this school was a late Mohist, Gongsun Long. Not much survives from the writings of this school, since problems of logic were deemed trivial by most subsequent Chinese philosophers. Historians such as Joseph Needham have seen this group as developing a precursor philosophy of science that was never fully developed, but others believe that recognizing the Logicians as proto-scientists reveals too much of a modern bias. For logicians with a lower-case l, see list of logicians. ... Gongsun Longzi (ch. ... Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (December 9, 1900 – March 24, 1995) was a British biochemist and pre-eminent authority on the history of Chinese science. ... Philosophy of science is the study of assumptions, foundations, and implications of science, especially in the natural sciences and social sciences. ...

Further reading

• Graham, A.C., Disputers of the TAO: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China (Open Court 1993). ISBN 0-8126-9087-7

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} One hundred Philosophers. A guide to the world's greatest thinkers Peter J. King, Polish edition: Elipsa 2006

See also

• A Battle of Wits, a historical film themed around Mohism
• Agape
• Ascetism
• Logic
• Logic in China

A Battle of Wits (Chinese and Japanese: 墨攻; pinyin: Mò Gōng; rōmaji: Bokkō or Bokukō; literally: Mohist Attack) is a 2006 Hong Kong historical action drama film, based upon a Japanese historical novel of the same name by Kenichi Sakemi. ... Agapē (IPA: or IPA: ) (Gk. ... An ascetic is one who practices a renunciation of worldly pursuits to achieve spiritual attainment. ... Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος logos; meaning word, thought, idea, argument, account, reason, or principle) is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstration. ... In the history of logic, logic in China plays a particularly interesting role due to its length and relative isolation from the strong current of developement of the study of logic in Europe and the Islamic world. ...

External links

• Mohism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• Mohist Canons, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• The Ethical and Political Works of Motse (Mozi)
• Full text of the Mozi

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