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Philosopher

Mozi

Ethics

Mozi (Mo Di), flourished circa 430 BCE, was the founder of Mohism, the first Chinese philosophical movement to mount an explicit, step-by-step reasoned defense of objective moral standards, roughly contemporaneous with Socrates in the West. He is thought to have belonged to the rising class of craftsmen and artisans; the Mohist texts frequently draw on crafts and mechanics for their arguments, and one anecdote has King Hui of Chu refusing him an audience on account of his low social status.

Facts
Birth Year
470 BCE 2
Defining Moment
King Hui of Chu refused Mozi an audience because of his low social status, an anecdote scholars read as evidence of his artisan-class origin. 3
Notable Publication
The Mozi, a text compiled by his followers over generations rather than written by him alone. 3
Tradition
Mohism 3
Classification
Nationality
China 1
Connections

In Branch

Epistemology, Branches of Philosophy
Source Wikipedia: Mozi
Ethics, Branches of Philosophy
Source Wikipedia: Mozi
Logic, Branches of Philosophy
Source Wikipedia: Mozi
Political Philosophy, Branches of Philosophy
Source Wikipedia: Mozi

In Tradition

Mohism, Schools of Philosophy
Source Wikipedia: Mozi

Open Questions

What Are Mozi's Life Dates and Origins?, Open Questions

Traditions Founded

Mohism, Schools of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

China

Also in History Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Originated In

China

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: MoziLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Mozi, personal name Mo Di, was a Chinese philosopher, logician, and the founder of the Mohist school of thought, making him one of the most important figures of the Warring States period (c. 475 – 221 BCE).
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Mozi
Wikipedia
  • Lead, opening sentence
    Mozi, personal name Mo Di, was a Chinese philosopher, logician, and the founder of the Mohist school of thought, making him one of the most important figures of the Warring States period (c. 475-221 BCE).
  • In Branch: Ethics, Infobox: main_interests
    Ethics, social and political philosophy, logic, epistemology
  • In Branch: Political Philosophy, Infobox: main_interests
    Ethics, social and political philosophy, logic, epistemology
  • In Branch: Logic, Infobox: main_interests
    Ethics, social and political philosophy, logic, epistemology
  • In Branch: Epistemology, Infobox: main_interests
    Ethics, social and political philosophy, logic, epistemology
  • In Tradition: Mohism, Infobox: school_tradition
    Mohism
  • In Group: East Asian Ethics, Infobox: school_tradition
    Mohism
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Mozi
  • Wikidata Q272411, class allow-list match, case-insensitive label variant (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/resolve_ci.ps1)
  • Wikidata Q272411 (w-bbfill-smallsix2-0926/propfill_year.ps1)
View the Source
3. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Information
  • entry: Mohism, Section 1 Mozi and the Mohists
    One passage depicts King Hui of Chu (488-432 BCE) refusing to grant him an audience because of his low social status.
  • entry: Mohism, Introduction
    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.
View the Source
Open Questions (1 open question)
What Are Mozi's Life Dates and Origins?

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's own entry on Mohism states plainly that little is known of Mozi's life, not even which state he was from; only a rough floruit of circa 430 BCE, contemporaneous with Socrates, can be given with any confidence.

What would resolve this Further archaeological or textual discovery bearing on Mozi's home state and exact birth and death years; the surviving record only supports a floruit of roughly 430 BCE.
Early Chinese intellectual history, classical Chinese textual studiesStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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