"Universal love" is the main idea of Mohism. Other concepts such as not attacking, saving money, saving burial and being unhappy are also derived from this. Universal love requires not to attack, and not to attack is to oppose attack and war, that is, "the big does not attack the small, the strong does not bully the weak, the public does not bully the fool, the expensive is not arrogant and cheap, the rich is not arrogant and poor, and the strong does not seize the old." It's based on the world, and we can't kill each other with fire and water. "Of course, not attacking does not mean not fighting, but opposing the war of aggression and attaching importance to the war of self-defense. Self-defense is an important part of anti-aggression, and failure to defend itself means failure to resist aggression. Universal love means mutual love and mutual benefit between countries and between people. Only universal love can not attack, and only non-attack can guarantee universal love.

Name of the work

Love without attacking.

Source of works

Mozi loves all.

author

Mozi

Year of creation

Warring States period

Literary genre

Classical poetry

school of thought

Mohist School

think

Universal love "universal love" can be regarded as an ancient idea of universal love, which developed from Confucianism's benevolence and propriety. Confucius changed the meaning of "love" to "loyalty and forgiveness" by increasing the content of patriarchal hierarchy; Mozi advocated "making the world love each other", but he also removed the content of patriarchal hierarchy, because Shu Ren could also be promoted to the Emperor, and the boundaries of hierarchy were broken. Therefore, Mohist's "universal love" is the development of Confucian "benevolence" and the negation of Confucian "benevolence"; In Mozi's view, the "benevolence" that Confucianism doesn't love everything can't be regarded as "benevolence"

Detailed explanation

Dedicate to fraternity

"Love on earth is the rule, and evil on earth is chaos" ("Love on earth"), and the chaos on earth begins with people not loving each other. Courtiers are unfilial, your father is heartless, "doctors are at odds, princes are at odds" until thieves harm people, all of which are the result of not loving each other. If everyone in the world can "love each other at the same time" and "love yourself", then the world will be peaceful. Mozi also talked about "benevolence" and "filial piety", but he didn't take "filial piety" as the basis of "universal love", let alone advocate equal love, so his "universal love" has the characteristics of anti-patriarchal hierarchy, so Mencius said that "universal love of Mohism is fatherless" and Mozi's "universal love" also prohibited bullying the weak and the rich. Moreover, with the combination of "loving each other" and "bringing out the best in each other", Mozi absorbed and developed the thought of "righteousness" and "benefit" of Zisi School, and got rid of the one-sidedness of Confucius who only gave lectures but not benefits. "Universal love" is beneficial to oneself, but not universal love is harmful to oneself. Mozi closely combines ethics and utility.

harmless

Non-attack "non-attack" embodies Mohism's peaceful desire to oppose unjust war. "Universal love" advocates mutual love and mutual benefit and does not attack each other, which inevitably advocates "mutual non-attack". At that time, the annexation war was fierce, and the Shu Ren class, peasants, workers, businessmen, scholars and other lower-class aristocrats all hoped for social stability, and Mohism represented their desire to stop the war. Attack the war, "spring will waste people's cultivation of crops and trees, and autumn will waste people's harvest", "people are hungry and cold, and countless people die." And not only by the attacking country, but also by the attacking country; The result of the annexation war will lead to "the country will conquer the army at the same time, and the thief will abuse the people." In ancient times, there were more than 10,000 countries, which "destroyed the countries due to merger today" ("No Attack"). Mozi advocated that weak countries should unite and resist the merger of big countries. This theory is the forerunner of "harmony" in the Warring States period. He also asked the rulers to "tolerate my people and trust my teachers", believing that this "invincible in the world" not only developed Confucius' thought of "ruling by virtue", but also inspired Mencius' proposition of "kingly way". It seems that Mozi is an idealist who hopes to peacefully unify the world. Mozi "does not attack", but does not oppose defensive warfare. Mohist defense is very famous and is called "Mo Shou". The following eleven chapters of Mozi's "Preparing the City Gate" record their experience in manufacturing and using defensive weapons. They helped the attacked country resist resistance. In the article "Public Loss", it is recorded that a famous craftsman made a siege ladder for Chu, and Chu was going to use it to attack the State of Song. When Mozi heard the news in Lu, he hurried for ten days and nights to lobby the defeated king of Chu. He also sent three hundred disciples, including Bird Slipper Li, with defensive tools to help Song Shoucheng. In this way, Mozi used his own strength to stop Chu's attack on Song State and put out an imminent war disaster in time. Mozi "didn't attack", but he didn't object to "revolutionary" wars such as "Tang attacked Li and Zhou", and thought that "he didn't attack, but he killed". This obviously absorbed the thought of Yi Zhuan and directly inspired Mencius' thought of "the master of one husband". Mozi also regarded the poor without food and clothing as "dissolute and heartless people" and advocated that the "lewd" behavior of "bandits and thieves" should be prohibited by using military force. He believes that "those who have five armor shields win and are invincible, so those who have five armor shields are saints" (on frugality). On the one hand, Mozi advocated the use of force to maintain public order; On the other hand, it also shows that Mozi did not stand on the position of the lower poor. He is only the political representative of the upper class. He wants to safeguard his vested interests and protect private property.

Brief introduction of the author

Mozi (468-376 BC), named Zhai, was born in Song State (now Shangqiu, Henan Province) in the late Spring and Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period. He was a famous thinker, educator, scientist, strategist and social activist in the Warring States period. Mozi founded Mohism and wrote Mozi.

Mozi is divided into two parts: one part records Mozi's words and deeds, expounds Mozi's thoughts, and mainly reflects the early Mohist thoughts; On the other hand, Shang Jing, Xia Jing, Jing Shuo Shang, Jing Shuo Xia, Daqu and Xiaoqu, generally called Mo Bian or Mo Jing, embody Mohist epistemology and logical thought, and also contain many natural science contents, reflecting Mohist thought in the later period. In the history of logic, it is called late Mohist logic or Mohist logic (one of the three major logic systems in the ancient world, the other two are the logic system of ancient Greece and the theory of Buddhism); It also contains many natural sciences, especially astronomy, geometric optics and statics.