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Continuing from part one on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho.
Sponsors: Check out the Continuing the Conversation web series by St. John’s College at sjc.edu. Check out the Hermitix podcast at hermitix.net.
Was Mozi really only concerned with material well-being? Is the lack of this well-being why people act badly? We talk more about Mozi’s arguments against elaborate funerals and music (and art in general).
Plus, we look at Mozi’s words against war and whether his defense of some past wars makes any sense. Did Mozi really believe in ghosts, or did he just think that believing in ghosts will scare people into righteous behavior? What other means does Mozi recommend to encourage morality? We also discuss the Will of Heaven, identification with one’s superior, and fatalism.
We will not actually be reading Han Feizi’s legalist school soon, so you might want to read about him.
Next time: We’ll be reading books 2, 4, and 6 of the Mengzi (aka Mencius). We used the Irene Bloom/Philip Ivanhoe translation.
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