Abstract
Abstract Pre-Qin era Mohist thought was endowed with a Confucian legacy as well as a critical eye and a unique set of ideas. These ideas later affected Legalist thought and attracted criticism from Mencius, Xunzi, and Zhuangzi, and many disputes arose thereafter between the later Mohists. Mohist thought can be broadly characterized as possessing distinctively ethical, rational, and practical features, and we can identify three main aspects of the modern transformation of Mohist philosophy. The first derives from Mozi’s statement on “[the endeavor to] procure benefits for the world and eliminate its calamities,” which can be interpreted as calling on humanity to resolve regional issues from a global viewpoint. The second draws upon Mozi’s statement on “universal love and mutual aid” to promote a manner of thinking that embraces peace at a global level and cultivates strong worldwide environmental awareness. The third draws upon Mozi’s ideas of “identification with the superior” and “Mohist methods of thinking” to promote a type of technological integration that incorporates cultural and social approaches and scientific thought to establish a global teaching system.
Highlights
1.1 The Spirit of “Universal Love” What is “universal love” [ jian’ai 兼愛]? The chapter “Canon I [Jing shang 經上]” in the Mozi 墨子 says: “A ti is a portion in a jian.”1 The chapter “Explanations I [ Jingshuo shang 經說上]” describes a ti 體 as: “For example, one of two, or the starting point of a measured length.”2 Here, jian 兼 denotes a whole, and ti is a part thereof
Mozi’s references to past generations, future generations, and those currently alive could be paraphrased as that the people who are the proper objects of universal love are not excluded from it by the time in which they exist – they should not be barred from universal love because of the limitation of having lived in the past or future
Via free access would love your own family.”6 The chapter “Universal Love I [ Jian’ai shang 兼愛上]” in the Mozi speaks about universal love as “When everyone regards other persons as his own person ... when everyone regards other families as his own family ... when everyone regards the houses of others as one’s own ... when everyone regards the states of others as one’s own.”7 From this we observe that Mozi’s conception of universal love is a form of love that places everyone on the same footing, taking no particular account of one’s relationship to an individual, family connections or lack thereof, proximity, class, social ranking, or wealth
Summary
4.1 Today’s Era Since the terrorist attack on New York City on September 11, 2001, terrorism has become part of the global consciousness, and so has a renewed appreciation for potential threats posed by other terrorist organizations. These paragraphs highlight the manifold similarities and sympathies between the two scholars, whose views could well be integrated to an extent Turning to another domain of Mencius’ theory on the good nature of human beings [xingshan lun 性善論], we can read about Mencius’ example demonstrating the existence of a “commiserating heart” [ceyin zhixin 惻隱 之心] common to humankind in his argument: If men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress and that they will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favor of the child’s parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbors and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing.. We need only look to the recognition in Han Fei’s philosophy for Mozi’s creative thinking to see the ways in which a modern Mohist transformation must be adaptable to circumstances and free to adjust its method of “procuring benefits for the world and eliminating its calamities” in a self-aware manner as dictated by the times. 64 Translation taken from “禮運-Li Yun,” https://ctext.org/liji/li-yun/
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