Book dossier

Mozi

by Mozi

"Mozi (fifth century B.C.,) was an important political and social thinker and a formidable rival of the Confucianists. The most famous and original doctrine of the Mohist school was that of universal love, according to which all humankind, as creatures of God, should be loved and treated as one's own kinfolk. Considering the fierce strife and hatred that characterized the society of Mozi's time, this noble ideal extended to the condemnation of offensive warfare. Paradoxically, it led the Mohists to become experts on methods of war, as they hastened to advise vulnerable states on the strengthening of their defenses." "Mozi had deep compassion of the suffering of common people and openly attacked the abuses of feudal aristocrats and the literati, whose music, dancing, elaborate funeral rites, and luxurious living he decried as drains on the common weal. Mozi's doctrines also exhort rulers to honor the worthy, regardless of birth, and seek out men of wisdom and virtue to employ in government. At the same time, worthy individuals are encouraged to identify with superiors who are closer in the universal hierarchy to the Son of Heaven, and thus to the Lord on High who creates and loves all beings, desiring their welfare. Indeed, Mozi asserts that nature spirits and the ghosts of the dead exist, that they are cognizant of all human activities, and that they serve the Lord on High with the power to reward or punish any individual for his deeds."--Jacket.