1. Mozi (墨子, c. 470–391 BCE)

• Core Philosophy
  • Universal Love (兼爱): Equal care for all, rejecting familial favoritism.
  • Anti-War (非攻): Condemnation of aggressive warfare.
  • Utility-Based Ethics (功利主义): Actions judged by practical benefit.
• Key Contributions
  • Founded the Mohist School, China’s first organized philosophical movement.
  • Developed early logic and optics theories (recorded in Mozi).
• Historical Significance
  • Provided the main intellectual opposition to Confucianism during the Warring States period.
• Enduring Influence
  • Concepts of universal love influenced later Chinese utopian thinkers.
  • Logical methods predated Greek formal logic by centuries.

2. Later Mohists (后期墨家, 4th-3rd Century BCE)

• Core Philosophy
  • Epistemology (认识论): Distinction between types of knowledge.
  • Logical Paradoxes (逻辑悖论): Advanced discussions on paradoxes like “Hard and White”.
• Key Contributions
  • Compiled the Canonical Texts (Mozi chapters on logic and science).
• Historical Significance
  • Created China’s most sophisticated pre-modern logical system.
• Enduring Influence
  • Indirectly influenced Chinese mathematics and engineering.