The Mozi as an Evolving Text: Different Voices in Early Chinese Thought

by Brill

Overview

Mozi (ca. 479-381), known as the first outspoken critic of Confucius, is an important but neglected figure in early Chinese philosophy. The book Mozi, named after master Mo, was compiled in the course of the fifth - third centuries BCE. The seven studies included in the The Mozi as an Evolving Text take a fresh look at the Core Chapters, Dialogues, and Opening Chapters of the book Mozi. Rather than presenting a unified vision of Mohist thought, the contributions search for different voices in the text and for evolutions or tensions between its chapters. By analysing the Mozi as an evolving text, these studies not only contribute to the rejuvenation of Mozi studies, but also to the methodology of studying ancient Chinese texts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789004234345
Publisher:	Brill Academic Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/06/2013
Series:	Studies in the History of Chinese Texts , #4
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Carine Defoort is Professor of Sinology at the University of Leuven (Belgium), specialising in early Chinese philosophy and its modern reception. She is editor of Contemporary Chinese Thought and leads the Mozi research at the Sinology department in Leuven.
Nicolas Standaert is Professor of Sinology at the University of Leuven (Belgium), specialising in the cultural contacts between China and Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Different Voices in the Mozi: Studies of an Evolving Text Carine Defoort Nicolas Standaert 1

1 Are the Three "Jian Ai" Chapters about Universal Love? Carine Defoort 35

2 How to End Wars with Words: Three Argumentative Strategies by Mozi and His Followers Paul van Els 69

3 Mozi 31: Explaining Ghosts, Again Roel Sterckx 95

4 Mozi's Remaking of Ancient Authority Miranda Brown 143

5 The Ethics of the Mohist Dialogues Chris Eraser 175

6 From "Elevate the Worthy" to "Intimacy with Officers" in the Mozi Hui-chieh Loy 205

7 Heaven as a Standard Nicolas Standaert 237

Bibliography 271

References to the Mozi 281

Subject Index 287