There are a lot of great resources out there if you want to get a fuller, more detailed story about the history of philosophy. But here are two philosophers most readers have likely never heard of, a little bit about some of their ideas, and why we might find them interesting today.
Mozi (ca. 430 B.C.E.)
A page from Mozi, the philosophical anthology written and compiled by followers of Mozi.
This image is in the public domain via Wikicommons.
If Westerners have a stereotype of Chinese philosophy, it is of a cryptic, dogmatic, and aphoristic style, and is concerned primarily with how we should conduct ourselves in filial and other hierarchical relationships. Mozi defies this stereotype in every respect.
Mozi defends an ethics based on impartial caring or universal compassion. On his view, partiality – the tendency to care more for yourself and the people who are close to you – is the source of human evil in the world. He argues plausibly that partiality is the cause of violence and theft between states, families, and individuals, and that impartial caring is necessary to protect socially isolated groups like orphans and elderly people without children.
Read Full Article »