Mohism墨子哲学

温海明 Prof. WEN Haiming

Associate Professor, School of Philosophy

Renmin University of China 中国人民大学哲学院副教授

Ph.D. University of Hawaii夏威夷大学哲学博士

23/4/21Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China1

Social Background of the Mohist School

Founded by Mozi (479-381 B.C?) Preached the ethics of “knights-errant” Supported the hsieh, knights errant

recruited from lower classes Criticized traditional institutions and their

rationalizers (i.e Confucius)

Mozi’s Criticism of Confucianism

Four reasons why Mozi believed Confucianism to be wrong:

1. Confucianism doesn’t believe in existence of God2. Insist on elaborate funerals and practice of mourning the

death of a parent for three years, thereby wasting wealthy and energy of youth

3. Lay stress on the practice of music, leading to an identical result

4. Believe in a predetermined fate, causing people to be lazy and to resign themselves to their fate

All-Embracing Love

Agrees with Confucian ideas of ren and yi (human heartedness and righteousness)

To Mohists, these symbolize all-embracing love “enjoy equally and suffer equally” Everyone should love everyone else without discrimination “The human-hearted man whose task it is to procure

benefits for the world and eliminate its calamities, must establish all-embracing love as the standard of action both for himself and for all others in the world.”

The Will of God and Existence of Spirits

In order to have people practice the principle of all-embracing love, Mozi introduces religious/political sanctions.

-”The Will of Heaven”, “Proof of the Existence of Spirits”

God exists, loves mankind, and His Will is that all men should love one another, constantly supervises activities of men

-punishes with calamity and rewards with good fortune

Seeming Inconsistencies Inconsistent for Mohists to have believed in

existence of spirits, but at the same time be opposed to elaborate rituals and making sacrifices to spirits

Mozi’s proof of the existence of spirits is done in order to introduce religious sanctions for doctrine of all embracing love

In his “Economy of expenditure” section, Mozi shares his belief that funeral and sacrificial services were also useful

Origin of the State Political sactions also needed to induce all-

embracing love According to the Mozi, authority of the ruler

comes from the will of the people and the Will of God

People must accept absolute authority because they have no alternative

World would be in disorder if every person had his own standard, therefore they must follow the person selected as ruler

State must be totalitarian and the authority of ruler absolute

The Later Mohists Mohists were philosophers of common sense “Mohist Canons” -in order to have knowledge, the

knowing must be confronted with an object of knowledge

Knowledge can be classified into 3 types-derived through personal experience of the

knower-transmitted by authority-knowledge by inference

Point of view of various objects of knowledge-knowledge of names, that of actualities, that of correspondence, that of action

Discussions on Dialectic

Serves to make distinction between right and wrong, discriminate between order and disorder…

Methods of imitation and methods of extension -imitation- sets forth a cause, deductive reasoning-extension- taking and giving according to classes, inductive reasoningcause defined as “that with which something

becomes”

Clarification of All-embracing Love

Maintain Mozi’s utilitarianistic philosophy All human activities aim at obtaining

benefit and avoiding harm Good = beneficial

-righteousness, loyalty, filial piety

1123/4/21Prof. Haiming Wen, School of Philosophy, Renmin

University of China