Mo Zi
Mo Zi (墨子, py Mò Zi, "Master Mo") (470 BC - 391 BC), also known as Mo-Tze, Mo Tzu, Mo Tseu, Motse or even the latinised form Mocius, lived in China during the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. He founded the school of Mohism and preached strongly against Confucianism and Daoism. His real name was Mo Di (墨翟, py Mo4 Di2).
Mo Zi idealised the Xia Dynasty, and advocated judging ideas and objects through the human senses, by their utility and their antiquity. Mo Zi denounced offensive warfare, extravagant funerals and music, and tried to replace Chinese family and clanic structure with an indistinct "universal love". In this, he argued directly against Confucians such as Mencius, who argued that it was natural for people to love different people in different amounts. He favoured frugality, and advocated increasing the power of the state through early marriage and a system of rewards and punishments. Mo Zi also held a belief in the power of ghosts and spirits.
Mo Zi is also the name of the philosophical text compiled by Mohists from Mo Zi's thought.
Referenced By
391 BC | 470 BC | Chinese classic text | Chinese classic texts | Classical Chinese writings | DaoDeJing | Dao De Jing | Gong Sun Long Zi | Gongsun Longzi | History of logic | Hundred Schools of Thought | Hundred schools of thoughts | List of China-related topics M-Z | Logicians | Mohism | Mohist | Tao-te-ching | Tao Te Ching | Tao Teh Ching
|