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Chinese Philosophy
PHL 237 H1F/ EAS 241 H1F
Doil Kim
doil.kim@utoronto.ca
Office Hours:
Thursdays 3:15 4:15
at JHB 422,
170 St. George Street
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Studying Mozi
1. Argumentation developed by Mohists
2. Is Mozis view closer to consequentialism
or the divine command theory?
3. Mozis universial love (or impartial
concern for everyone)
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Mozi the Man
Not much known about Mo Di or Mozi (Master
Mo)
Active early Warring States period, before Mencius (382-300)
Native of Lu, minister of Song (?)
Speculations about his social background (lowly, artisan) based
on the focus of his doctrine (antiaristocratic) and the style of the
Mohist writings (unadorned, tedious) (Such speculations often
rather question-begging)
Possibly a renegade Confucian:
Mozi was trained in the [Ru] school and disciplined in Confucian
ideas. But he felt that the code of propriety was too troublesome
and annoying and that elaborate funerals consumed too much
money and impoverished the people; that they were unwholesome
to life and obstacles to industry. Thereupon he rebelled against the
norms of Zhou and adopted the regime of Xia (Huainanzi
19/228/4-7; trans. in Mei, Motse, 42)
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Brief History of the Mohists
The Mohists (mozhe ) are followers of Mozi,
committed to living by and propagating the Doctrines of
our Teacher Master Mo
Probably the only group (Confucians included) that was
self-consciously organized as an intellectual lineage with a
concern for orthodoxy in the period
They form an international rescue organization and
religious cult
Eventual split into rival sects
Neo-Mohists on Logic, Epistemology, Optics, Mechanics
The non-survival of the community into the Qin; lasting
impact of Mohist ideas upon Warring States and early
Imperial intellectual history
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Muk Gong (Mo Gong; A Battle of
Wits) (2006); staring Andy Lau as
Ge Li, a third generation Mohist
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The composition of the Mozi
The received text in 71 Chapters with several
marked missing by (Han) editors
Peculiarities of the Core Chapters (8-37): ten
triplets, expounding ten key doctrines
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The Core Chapters
What you have in Readings is as follows :
Chapter 8 = Honoring the Worthy A
Chapter 11 = Obeying Ones Superior A
Chapter 16 = Impartial Caring C
Chapter 17 = A Condemnation of Aggressive War A
Chapter 20 = For Moderation in Expenditures A
Chapter 25 = For Moderation in Funerals C
Chapter 26 = Heavens Will A
Chapter 31 = On Ghosts C
Chapter 32 = A Condemnation of Musical Performances A
Chapter 35 = A Condemnation of Fatalism
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The Ten Doctrines in Action
Upon entering a country one should locate the need and work on that.
If the country is upset in confusion, teach them with the [doctrines of]
Honoring the Worthy and Obeying One's Superior.
If the country is in poverty, teach them with Moderation in
Expenditures and Moderation in Funerals.
If the country is indulging in music and wine, teach them with
Condemnation of Musical Performances and Condemnation of
Fatalism.
If the country is insolent and without propriety, teach them to revere
Heaven and serve the spirits.
If the country is engaged in conquest and oppression, teach them with
Impartial Caring and Condemnation of Aggressive War
(Mozi, Ch. 49, Lus Questions)
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Meritocracy
(Ch. 8; Readings, 61-65)
Worthy and capable people should be employed in government
whatever their social origin
The proper implementation of the policy requires that rulers attract
(and keep) the talented by conferring upon them honor, wealth and
delegating to them responsibility/power; incentivizing people to
be/become virtuous (the archer example at Readings, p. 62)
Q: The worthy and capable should be in government because
They deserve to be so (i.e., it would be an injustice to them if
they are denied such responsibility/power and associated
rewards/honors)?
This is the most efficient way to promote good consequences for
the overall social and political order?
The assumption of hierarchy (meritocracy egalitarianism)
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Unity / State of Nature
(Ch. 11; Readings, 65-68)
Shangtong is something taken as conforming
upwards (hence Obeying ones superiors in Readings)
Account of the origins of political society? Or thought
experiment showing how is it that a unity in peoples
conception of what is morally right (yi) is a necessary
condition for social and political order?
Unity in yi to be enforced from above by a hierarchy of
rulers and leaders and supported from below by people
who conform upwards to their superiors judgments
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Frugality
(Ch. 20, 25, 32; Readings pp. 78-90, 105-110)
Lavish funerals and prolonged mourning, and elaborate
music displays condemned because they not only do not
benefit the people of the world, but harm their livelihood
Mohist measurement of benefit focused upon the material
welfare (especially of the common people): sufficient food,
clothing/shelter, rest
Q: Is it that the Mohists fail to appreciate the value of
things apart from food/clothing/shelter/rest?
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Aim & Nature of Mohist Doctrine
The Way (as usual); but the focus on yimoral rightness.
In ancient times, when people first came into being and before
there were governments or laws, each person followed their
own yi (norm) for deciding what was right and wrong. And
so where there was one person there was one yi, where there
were two people there were two yis, where there were ten
people there were ten different yis. As many people as there
were, that was how many yis were recognized. In this way
people came to approve their own yis for what is right and
wrong and thereby condemn the yis of others. And so they
mutually condemned each others yis. For this reason,
within families, there was resentment and hatred between
fathers and sons and elder and younger brothers that caused
them to separate and disperse and made it impossible for
them to cooperate harmoniously with one another.
(Readings 65)
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Right Distinguished from Custom
(See Readings, 88-89) Arguing against lavish funerals and
prolonged mourning (championed by Confucians; see
Analects 17.21)
Diagnosis of the opponents problem:
This is just a case of people following what they are used to
and approving of what is customary [literally: considering as right
what is (merely) customary].
(Q: How does the argument actually work? Does it prove
(or even sought to prove) that right is distinguished from
custom?)
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Mohist Doctrine
Public Good/Social Justice: To promote the cause of
yi (moral rightness) renyi (morality) in
the world
To articulate, argue for, propagate a correct
conception of yi in the form of Doctrine (yan ), and
to defend that Doctrine against and to confute wrong
yan
Hence the ten Doctrines
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The Role of Doctrine
(Readings, pp. 80-81 cont):
If by following their words [yan] and implementing their
plans concerning lavish funerals and prolonged mourning
one really would enrich the poor, increase the population,
bring stability to precarious situation and order to chaos,
then these things clearly are benevolent and right, the proper
task of filial children
However, if by following their words [yan] and
implementing their plans concerning lavish funerals and
prolonged mourning one really cannot enrich the poor,
increase the population, bring stability to precarious
situations and order to chaos, then these things clearly are
not benevolent and right or the proper task of filial
children
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Moral Epistemology (1)
Criteria for establishing the right yan and to decide between
conflicting yan (context of courtly disputation)
The Three Gauges of Doctrine (Readings, 111; note that this
is only version A):
HW: Heavens Will (B)
SA: Sagely Authority (A, B, C)
GC: Good Consequences (A, B, C)
HS: Hearing and sight of the masses (A, C)
Normative Doctrine (HW, SA, GC) vs. Factual Claims (HS, but
sometimes also SA)
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Moral Epistemology (2)
The gauges as measuring standards:
I hold to the will of Heaven as a wheelwright holds to his
compass and a carpenter his square. Wheelwrights and carpenters
hold fast to their compasses and squares in order to gauge what is
round and square throughout the world saying, What is plumb
with this is true, what is not is false! I measure [the books and
teachings of the gentlemen of the world] with the clearest standard
in all the world. (Readings, p. 94)
X is a requirement of yi is justified just in case (roughly speaking):
X conforms to Heavens Will (HW)
X is in accordance with the Order of the ancient Sage kings
(SA)
X conduces to good consequences, especially in terms of benefit
to the common people (GC)
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Foundation(s) of Morality
Sagely Authority: mostly examples and exemplars; the sages do
not present an independent standard of what is right (see e.g.,
Readings, 93, quoted earlier)
Yao, Shun, Y, Tang, Wen and Wu are Sage-Kings because
they did the right things (and not the other way round)
The persistent controversy is between GC and HW
More traditional interpretation: The Mohists imply a form of
Utilitarianism / Consequentialism
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Mohist Doctrine and Meta-Doctrine
The importance of doctrine (yan) (verbalized maxims for
guiding conduct) and the need to evaluate conflicting
doctrine (see e.g., Readings, 81, 111)
The Ten Theses:
Honoring the Worthy, Obeying Ones Superior, Impartial
Caring, Against Military Aggression, Moderation in Expenditures,
Moderation in Funerals, Heavens Will, On Ghosts, Against
Musical Performances, Against Fatalism
The Three Gauges:
Heavens Will (HW), Sagely Authority (SA), Good Consequences
(GC), [Hearing and Sight of the Masses (HS)]
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GC vs. HW
Which gauge is most fundamental?
Is Mozi a utilitarian?
Or, is Mozi a divine command theorist?
Are these questions legitimate?
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Utilitarianism I
Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism.
(Hedonism + Consequentialism) = Utilitarianism
Consequentialists are committed to three basic ideas:
(a) Commitment to the idea that states of affairs are the
bearers of value.
(b) A commitment to some theory of value that allows states of
affairs to be ranked.
(c) Commitment to the principle that the morally right action
is the one that will bring about the highest rank state of affairs
from among those the agent is able to bring about.
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Utilitarianism II
1. An action is right if and only if it generates a
greater good over bad in its consequences than
any other action available to the agent
2. An action is right if and only if it maximizes the
greatest good for the greatest number of people.
3. In counting the number of people, each one
counts as an equal one
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The Divine Command Theory
An action is right if and only if God
commands it!
In the case of Mozi, an action is yi iff it is in
line with Heavens will.
Three passages in the Mozi
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Passage A
The three high ministers and the feudal lords
devote their strength to managing the affairs of
government, but they cannot decide for
themselves what is right. There is the Son of
Heaven to do that for them. But the Son of Heaven
cannot decide for himself what is right. There is
Heaven to decide that for him. (Burton Watsons
tran.)
Duda: Ambiguity involved in decide
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Alternative translation for A
The three high counselors and feudal lords
devote themselves to administering the
government but they do not make up their own
standard. There is the Son of Heaven to govern
them. The Son of Heaven does not make up his
own standard. There is Heaven to govern him.
(Readings, 91)
,[[,. z, z, z, z,])|.
|. z,]])|. |.
A methodological concern in using translations
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Passage B
1. yi originates with the wise.
2. Heaven is the wisest being.
3. Therefore, yi originates with Heaven.
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Passage C
Mozi uses the will of Heaven to measure
the government of the rulers and ministers
above, and the writings and words of the
multitudes below. He observes their actions,
and if they obey the will of Heaven, he calls
them good actions, but it they disobey the
will of Heaven, he calls them bad actions.
Does Heavens will define yi or test yi?