Mo Di

Dzieła

• ok. 400 p.n.e.Mozi

  Przeciw wojnie, zbytkowi i konfucjańskiemu faworyzowaniu: troska o wszystkich.

• ok. 300 p.n.e.Kanony mohistów

  Zebrane przez późniejszych uczniów Mozi: definicje i argumenty o logice, etyce, optyce i geometrii – najbardziej systematyczne wczesne chińskie dzieło logiczne.

Stanowisko

Mozi was the first great critic of Confucianism. He rejected its graded love, centred on the family, in favour of jian ai, impartial or inclusive care for all people. Actions and institutions are to be judged by their consequences – whether they benefit the people by bringing wealth, order and a growing population. On this basis he condemned offensive war, lavish funerals and costly court music as harmful waste. He also argued that Heaven wills impartial care and rewards those who practise it. His consequentialist reasoning and the later Mohists’ work on logic and argument make him one of the most original thinkers of ancient China.

Życie i kontekst

Mozi (Mo Di) lived in the fifth century BCE, shortly after Confucius; he may have come from a background of craftsmen. He founded a tightly organised movement whose members were known as skilled engineers of defensive warfare and travelled to help besieged cities. The Mohist school flourished for about two centuries and then disappeared.

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