Mohism

Mohism was one of the major philosophical schools of the pre-Qin period in ancient China. It was founded by Mozi (personal name Di, also romanized as Mo Di).

The school’s core doctrines centered on ten key principles:

• “Universal Love” (Jian Ai)
• “Condemnation of Offensive Warfare” (Fei Gong)
• “Exalting the Worthy” (Shang Xian) – promoting capable individuals regardless of birth
• “Exalting Unity” (Shang Tong) – advocating social and political conformity under a unified moral standard
• “Frugal Burials” (Jie Zang)
• “Frugality in Use” (Jie Yong)
• “Rejection of Fatalism” (Fei Ming) – opposing passive acceptance of destiny
• “Rejection of Elaborate Music” (Fei Yue)
• “Affirming the Existence of Spirits” (Ming Gui) – asserting that ghosts and spirits exist and reward/punish human conduct
• “Will of Heaven” (Tian Zhi) – belief in a purposeful, moral Heaven that guides human affairs

Beyond ethics and politics, the Mohists made pioneering contributions to epistemology, logic, and early natural science, including studies in optics, mechanics, and geometry – many preserved in the later chapters of the text Mozi.

After Mozi’s death, the Mohist school split into three major branches: the Xiangli clan Mohists, the Xiangfu clan Mohists, and the Dengling clan Mohists, as recorded in classical texts like theHan Feizi and Lüshi Chunqiu. During the Warring States period, Mohism rivaled Confucianism in influence; the two were jointly known as the “eminent schools” (xian xue), with the saying “Either anti-Confucian or pro-Mohist” (fei Ru ji Mo) reflecting their dominance in intellectual discourse.

In the Eastern Han dynasty, the historian Ban Gu classified Mohism as one of the “Nine Schools” in his Book of Han – Hanshu, acknowledging its historical significance. However, after the Han dynasty, as imperial rulers increasingly elevated Confucianism as state orthodoxy, Mohism gradually declined and eventually disappeared as an organized school, though some of its logical and scientific ideas were absorbed into other traditions.

The primary surviving text of the school is the book Mozi, which preserves Mozi’s teachings, dialogues, and technical treatises compiled by his followers.