Knowra Mozi Mozi Mozi was a Chinese philosopher of the fifth century BCE who founded Mohism. He criticized costly ritual and argued for impartial concern and practical benefit.
Mohism : Mohism is an ancient Chinese philosophical school founded by Mozi, known for impartial care, frugality, and practical standards. It gathers Mozi’s teachings into the school that his followers developed.
Confucius : Confucius was an ancient Chinese teacher whose ideas shaped Confucian ethics, ritual, and political thought. Mozi rejected forms of ritual and graded affection associated with Confucian teaching.
Mohist Canons : The Mohist Canons are compact texts analyzing language, reasoning, knowledge, and standards in later Mohist thought. They show how Mozi’s school developed systematic tools for argument and evaluation.
Spring and Autumn Period : The Spring and Autumn period was an era of political fragmentation in China, conventionally dated 770–481 BCE. Mozi’s thought emerged amid the weakening of Zhou authority and competing states.
Impartiality : Impartiality is the principle of giving equal consideration without favoritism toward particular people or groups. Mozi’s inclusive care made impartial concern a central challenge to established family hierarchies.
Inclusive Care : Inclusive care is the Mohist principle of extending concern and benefit beyond one’s own family or group. Mozi made impartial concern the ethical alternative to family partiality.
Confucianism : Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and political tradition centered on cultivated virtue, social roles, and ritual. Its emphasis on role-based duties stands against Mohist impartial care.
Mohist Logic : Mohist logic is the study of distinctions, inference, and argument found in later Mohist writings. It formalizes methods of reasoning that grew from the school Mozi founded.
Warring States Period : The Warring States period was an era of intense interstate warfare in China, conventionally dated 475–221 BCE. Mozi’s critiques of costly warfare addressed the conflicts that defined this era.
Defensive Warfare : Defensive warfare is the use of military force to repel an attack rather than initiate conquest. Mohists became associated with defending threatened states while condemning offensive campaigns.
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