Moism, also known as Mohism or Moziism, is an ancient Chinese philosophy founded by the philosopher Mozi (also known as "Master Mo") during the Warring States period in the 5th century BCE. Mozi was a contemporary of Confucius and, like him, sought to address the social and political turmoil of his time through his philosophical teachings.
Moism is centered on the concept of universal love, or "ji," which Mozi believed was the key to solving the problems facing society. According to Mozi, universal love involves treating all people with equal concern and respect, regardless of their social status or personal relationships. This includes the idea that rulers should be fair and just, and should put the needs of their subjects above their own interests.
One of the key ideas of Moism is the concept of "ren," or benevolence. Mozi believed that rulers should act with benevolence towards their subjects, and that this would lead to a more harmonious and prosperous society. Mozi also argued that rulers should seek the advice and counsel of their subjects, and that the best rulers were those who listened to and took the concerns of their people into account.
Another key concept in Moism is the idea of "yi," or righteousness. Mozi believed that rulers should act with righteousness and follow a strict code of conduct in order to be fair and just. He also believed that people should act with righteousness in their daily lives, and that this would lead to a more harmonious and virtuous society.
In addition to these core concepts, Moism also emphasizes the importance of practicality and efficiency. Mozi believed that rulers should implement policies and programs that were effective and efficient in achieving their goals, rather than simply following tradition or superstition.
Overall, Moism offers a unique perspective on social and political issues, and its ideas continue to influence Chinese thought and culture to this day. Its emphasis on universal love, benevolence, righteousness, and practicality provide a useful framework for thinking about how to create a more harmonious and just society.
Maoism
Although the essays in each triad differ in detail, the gist of each doctrine may be briefly summarized as follows. After the Qin dynasty was ousted by the Han dynasty, Confucianism was adopted as the official doctrine, and so were almost all the following dynasties. That is to say; you should love and respect all equally, regardless of who they are. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1966. Fa are models or standards that aid us in following such norms reliably.
They regularly cite others, such as the behavior of the paradigmatic benevolent person ren ren or filial son xiao zi. However, the potentially repressive element is countered by compulsory communication between the subjects and their leaders. They use this pair of pronouns to refer to right and wrong in an extremely general sense, without distinguishing between different notions of correctness and error as they bear on describing, ordering, recommending, permitting, or choosing, or on issues that to us fall into areas as diverse as science, politics, ethics, prudence, and etiquette. A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Hsun-tzu attacked Mo Ti's opposition to music as indicative of a lack of refinement on the part of Mo Ti.
A good bow is difficult to pull, but it shoots high. Whether skilled artisans or unskilled artisans, all take these five as models. Then the work of unifying moral standards begins. The theory recognizes that individuals exist within a web of social relations, which partly define their identities and duties, and that strong social relationships are a crucial part of human welfare. The process of evaluating whether some statement or action is correct is thus one of evaluating whether the distinction on which it is based is has been drawn properly.
Later, during the communist period Moism received some official sympathy because of its opposition to aristocratic privilege. But in practice we cannot possibly act for all others as though acting for ourselves, and unlike Heaven, we are rarely in a position to act on behalf of everyone. Mozi is known for his insistence that all people are equally deserving of receiving material benefit and being protected from physical harm. The actual practice of inclusive care seems to demand no more than the absence of harm or hostility to others; virtuous performance of our social roles as ruler, subject, father, son, or brother, thus contributing to the welfare of our family and community; helping friends and neighbors in need; and assisting the elderly, solitary, and orphaned, who have no family to care for them. They make this point by considering — at roughly the same time Herodotus was raising similar issues in Greece — the challenge to parochial conceptions of what is right posed by the existence of disparate cultural practices. The text goes on to argue that the doctrine of inclusive care promotes benefit to all and so conforms to the standard set by the benevolent person. Of course, sometimes they will set forth explicit fa models, rules , as when the Son of Heaven issues the original order for everyone to identify upward.
Mohism > Notes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
They were the first in the tradition to engage, like Socrates in ancient Greece, in an explicit, reflective search for objective moral standards and to give step-by-step, tightly reasoned arguments for their views, though their reasoning is sometimes simplistic or rests on doubtful assumptions. Seeking always to bring wealth to the people and order to society, the ren benevolent person avoids wasting resources on extravagant funerals and prolonged mourning customs promoted by the Ru and others. Otherwise, those below will may be unable to identify with the system and thus may see no reason to emulate their superiors or cooperate with the state. In the past, east of Yue there was the country of Gai Shu. The doctrine of the three models thus reflects the pragmatic orientation of their thought, in particular the assumption, common to many early Chinese thinkers, that the primary purpose of language and judgment is to guide action appropriately, rather than to describe facts. Mo Ti was treated by his followers as virtually infallible, and his successors were also accorded great obedience by their followers. The infamous incident of burning of books and burying of scholars has put an aggressive stop to the Mohist movement and its popularity among the commoners.
And so, one of Mohism's central beliefs was the idea that waste should be eliminated, as should luxury and ceremony. It arose during the time when China was a collection of warring states and Mozi tried to make sense of the chaos in his own way. To Mozi, bare necessities are sufficient; resources should be directed to benefit man. Although attributed to Mo Ti, the Mo-tzu was probably composed over a number of generations by Mo Ti's disciples. We need to find other, objectively justified standards.
Second, the prominence of virtues associated with fundamental social roles indicates that the Mohists, like the Confucians, attach great importance to certain paradigmatic social relationships, probably seeing them as forming the basic framework of society. It requires only the practical ability to distinguish x from not- x. Birth places of notable Chinese philosophers from Hundred Schools of Thought in Zhou Dynasty. Der Weg des Himmels: Zum Geist und zur Gestalt des politischen Denkens im klassischen China in German. Another early text, the Lushi Chunqiu ca. Punishment fails to bring fear and reward fails to bring happiness. Also, as the Zhuangzi passage But it is probably false that the general practice of equal care would yield the most benefit for the world.
In some contexts, Mohist arguments are careful to avoid conflating these points, but in others they verge on identifying the attitudes of the benevolent person with those of Heaven itself. Second, the sovereign and other leaders do not create the standards of right and wrong, but only exemplify, teach, and enforce them. The Mohists imply that the correct moral norms are those that such an agent would follow or intend that human beings follow. Ironically, as his decisions affect the fate of an entire nation, it is even more important that a ruler maintains a set of standards, and yet he has none. To Test the Limits of Our Endurance. This habit was grounded in the assumption that the ancient sage-kings were dependable ethical exemplars and, in some cases, that they were the originators of the relevant normative practices.
