The Essential Mòzǐ

Description

An abridged translation of the influential classical Chinese text Mòzi covering the ethical and political writings and the dialectical texts.

• An Introduction which provides a clear, concise overview of Mohist thought and guidelines for getting started with the text
• Informed by recent philosophical research, the translation is compact and accessible while accurately reflecting the meaning, terminology, and style of the original
• An extensive glossary explicating key philosophical and historical terms
• A timeline of the rise and fall of the Mohist movement and maps illustrating the world of Warring States China in which the Mohists lived

About the Author(s)

Mo Zi

Chris Fraser is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. He is the author of The Philosophy of the Mozi (Columbia, 2016), Late Classical Chinese Thought (Oxford, forthcoming), and many dozen research articles on early Chinese ethics, epistemology, philosophy of language and logic, and philosophy of mind and action. His work can be accessed at cjfraser.net

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Note on the Translation
Select Bibliography
Chronology
Maps
Part I: Miscellaneous Essays
Book 4: Models and Standards
Book 5: Seven Worries
Book 6: Avoiding Excess
Book 7: Three Disputations
Part II: The Triads
Books 8-10: Promoting the Worthy
Books 11-13: Identifying Upward
Books 14-16: Inclusive Care
Books 17-19: Condemning Aggression
Books 20-21: Moderation in Use
Book 25: Moderation in Burial
Books 26-28: Heaven's Intent
Book 31: Understanding Ghosts
Book 32: Condemning Music
Books 35-37: Condemning Fatalism
Part III: Condemning the Erudites
Book 39: Condemning the Erudites
Part IV: The Dialectics
Books 40-43: The Canons and Explanations
Book 44: The Greater Selection
Book 45: The Lesser Selection
Part V: The Dialogues
Book 46: Geng Zhù
Book 47: Valuing Righteousness
Book 48: Gong Mèng
Book 49: The Questions of Lu
Book 50: Gongshu
Explanatory Notes
Glossary
Appendix: The Chronology of the Triads
Index

Reviews

"The annotated translation (commendably, Chinese terms are rendered using Pīnyīn including tonal marks) is elegantly crafted and indeed mindful of past terminological debates in the relevant scholarship...Both students and scholars of East Asian religion will have much to gain from this master translation." - Lukas Pokorny, Religious Studies Review

"Both students and scholars of East Asian religion will have much to gain from this master translation." - Lukas Pokorny, Religious Studies Review

"It offers an exceptional and philosophically informed translation of the text. It is easily among the most important works of recent decades in Mohist studies." - Yun Wu, Dao