Founded by Mozi, Mohism (墨家), or Moism, is a Chinese philosophy that evolved at the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Hundred Schools of Thought). It disappeared during the Qin dynasty. Mo Di's philosophy was described in the book Mozi, compiled by his students from lecture notes. Mozi (c. ... Yin/Yang symbol and ba gua paved in a clearing outside of Nanning city, Guangxi province. ... Sage Confucius——孔子 Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: 儒家, Pinyin Rújiā, The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, 孔教 Kŏng jiào, The Religion of Confucius) is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. ... The Chinese character Tao [Way]. Taoism (sometimes written as Daoism) is the English name for (a) the Chinese folk religion; (b) a family of organized Chinese religious movements such as the Zhengyi (Orthodox One) or Quanzhen (Complete Reality) sects, which collectively trace back to Zhang Daoling in the late Han... Legalism 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... The Qin Dynasty (秦朝 Pinyin Qín, Wade-Giles Chin; 221 BC - 207 BC) was preceded by the Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. ... Mozi (c. ... Students attending a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stÅ­dÄ“rÄ•, which means to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ...

In Mohism, morality is not defined by tradition, but rather by a constant moral guide that parallels utilitarianism. Traditionalism is inconsistent, and man-kind need an extra-traditional guide to identify which traditions are acceptable. The moral guide must then promote and encourage social behaviors that maximise general utility. ...

Mohism promotes a philosophy of universal love, i.e. an equal affection for all individuals. This universal love is what makes man 'Good'. The advocacy of universal love was a target of attack by other schools, most notably the Confucians, who believed, for example, that children should hold a greater love for their parents than for random strangers.

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 in man in his natural state, i.e. the absence of the definition of what is right (是 shi4) and what is wrong (非 fei1). We must then 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 opposes itself to any form of aggression, especially in the form of war between states. It is however permitted for a state to use force in legitimate defense. They have inspired some modern pacifists. War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Pacifism is opposition to war. ...

Mohists developed the sciences of fortification, and were hired by the many warring kingdoms as fortification advisors. Nakhal Fort, one of the best-preserved forts in Oman. ...

Belief in the heavens as a divine force (Tian) who know the immoral acts of man, who can punish and is then a force to encourage moral righteousness. Belief in spirits is at best vague; against elaborate funeral ceremonies, defined as a waste of resources. Tian (天 Pinyin Tiān) is the Chinese character for heaven or sky. ... Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ...

Mohists held that music and dance were forms of extravagance and flamboyance that wasted resources that could have been used to feed, house and protect the people.

The Logicians

One of the schools of Mohism that has received some attention is the Logicians school, which was interested in resolving logical puzzles. Some historians, such as Joseph Needham, have seen this group as developing a precursor philosophy of science that never went anywhere. Others claim that seeing the Logicians as proto-scientists reads too much of a modern bias into them. For logicians with a lower-case l, see list of logicians. ... Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (December 9, 1900 – March 24, 1995) was a British biochemist and pre-eminent authority on the history of Chinese science. ... The philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy which studies the philosophical foundations, assumptions, and implications of science, including the natural sciences such as physics and biology, and the social sciences, such as psychology and economics. ...

Reference

• Graham, A.C., Disputers of the TAO: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China (Open Court 1993). ISBN 0812690877

See also

Logic in China. 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)