Mozi 墨子 | |
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Born | c. 470 BCE |
Died | c. 391 BCE (aged 79) |
Era | Ancient philosophy |
Region | Chinese philosophy |
School | Mohism |
Main interests | Ethics, social and political philosophy, logic, epistemology |
Mozi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese | 墨子 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Master Mo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 墨翟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mozi,[note 1] personal name Mo Di,[note 2] was a Chinese philosopher, logician, and founder of the Mohist school of thought, one of the Hundred Schools of Thought that existed during the early Warring States period (c. 475 – 221 BCE). The Mozi is an anthology of writings traditionally ascribed either to Mozi or to his followers.
Born in what is now Tengzhou, Shandong, Mozi and his followers argued strongly against both Confucianism and Taoism, with a philosophy emphasizing universal love, social order, the will of Heaven, sharing, and honoring the worthy. Mohism was actively developed and practiced across Warring States–era China, but fell out of favor following the establishment of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE. It has traditionally been assumed that many Mohist texts were destroyed in 213 BCE as part of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars. As Confucianism became the dominant school of thought during the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE), disappearing almost entirely by the middle of the Western Han.[3] Mozi is referenced in the 6th-century CE Thousand Character Classic, which records that he was saddened when he saw the dyeing of pure white silk, which embodied his conception of austerity as simplicity and chastity.
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