Abstract
One prominent feature associated with Mozi and Mohism in scholarship of early Chinese thought is his so-called unwavering belief in ghosts and spirits. It is striking that they seem to begin from two assumptions: first, that views on the spirit world across the received Mozi are unitary and internally uncontested; second, that Mozi’s views on the spirit world should invariably be seen as conversant with or pitched against a countercurrent, the so-called Ru. The author argues that these assumptions are problematic and overlook subtle differences and problems embedded in the received Mozi text. He claim in favor of a more variegated and multipolar Mohist view of spirits reinforced by possible readings of a manuscript fragment, titled “Guishen zhi ming” (Ghostly Percipience) by its editors, among the Chu bamboo-slip materials held in the Shanghai Museum. Keywords:ghosts; Mohism; Mozi; Ru; spirits
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