Wikipedia
Mozi (, Lat. as Micius, ca. 470 – ca. 391 BC), original name Mo Di (墨翟), was a Chinese philosopher during the Hundred Schools of Thought period (early Warring States period).
Born in what is now Tengzhou, Shandong Province, he founded the school of Mohism that argued strongly against Confucianism and Daoism. His philosophy emphasized self-restraint, self-reflection and authenticity rather than obedience to ritual. During the Warring States period, Mohism was actively developed and practiced in many states but fell out of favour when the legalist Qin dynasty came to power. During that period, many Mohist classics were ruined when the emperor Qin Shi Huang carried out the burning of books and burying of scholars. The importance of Mohism further declined when Confucianism became the dominant school of thought during the Han Dynasty, until mostly disappearing by the middle of the Western Han dynasty.
Mozi is known by children throughout Chinese culture by way of the Thousand Character Classic, which records that he was saddened when he saw dyeing of pure white silk, which embodied his conception of austerity (simplicity, chastity). For the modern juvenile audience of Chinese speakers, the image of his school and its founder were popularized by the animated TV series The Legend of Qin.
The Mozi is an ancient Chinese text from the Warring States period (476221) that expounds the philosophy of Mohism. It is known for its plain and simple language, and propounds such Mohist ideas as impartiality, meritocratic governance, economic growth, and an aversion to ostentation.
The chapters of the Mozi can be divided into several categories: a core group of 31 chapters, which contain the basic philosophic ideas of the Mohist school; several chapters on logic, which are among the most important early Chinese texts on logic and are traditionally known as the "Dialectical Chapters"; five sections containing stories and information about Mozi and his followers; and eleven chapters on technology and defensive warfare, on which the Mohists were expert and which are valuable sources of information on ancient Chinese military technology. There are also two other minor sections: an initial group of seven chapters that are clearly of a much later date, and two anti-Confucian chapters, only one of which has survived.
The Mohist philosophical school died out in the 3rd century BC, and copies of the Mozi were not well preserved. The modern text has been described as "notoriously corrupt", and of its 71 original chapters, 18 have been lost and several others are badly fragmented.
Mozi (ca. 470 – ca. 391 BC) was a Chinese philosopher during the early Warring States period.
Mozi may also refer to:
- Mozi (book), ancient Chinese text expounding the philosophy of Mohism
- Mozi (satellite), nickname of Quantum Experiments at Space Scale, a joint Austrian-Chinese satellite
- Mozi+, Hungarian channel