History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

We conclude our series on Mohism with an interview that looks at the Mohists' dialectic and its relationship to their ethics. 

Later Mohists explained in the Canons how to provide compelling philosophical arguments, and how to avoid mistakes in argumentation. Does this count as “logic”?

What Mohist dialectics and Gongsun Long’s “White Horse Not Horse” argument tell us about the connection between language and knowledge.

Did Mozi tell people that ghosts exist and that we can change our fate because he thought these things are true, or because it would be beneficial for people to believe them?

An interview on the contrasting views of Mohists and Confucians on ethical duties and warfare.

How the Mohist principle of “inclusive care” leads to political order and (mostly) forbids the fighting of wars.

Disagreements between the Mohists and the Confucians: is seeking benefits the right way to approach life? What motivates us to act morally, care for our loved ones or a doctrine of impartiality?

How did the Mohists establish their consequentialist ethic of “impartial care (jian ’ai)”? Was this theory ultimately grounded in the will of Heaven?

An introduction to the Mozi, the founding text of an anti-elitist school of thought that tests social and political practices by the measure of “benefit.”

In our final episode on classical Confucianism, our interview guest tells us about the surprising moral depth of the concept of "etiquette"

Can classical Confucianism be redeemed from its reputation for rigidly hierarchical thinking when it comes to the relationship between men and women?

Can classical Confucian ideas be adapted to produce a theory of democracy fit for today's world?

Were Confucian ideas about Heaven, ritual, and fate driven by a religious attitude, or a naturalistic one?

Mengzi and Xunzi show that a Confucian political theory need not be idealistic.

An interview about the "resonant cosmos" in early Confucianism, and the role played by music in linking sages to the universe.

The role of knowing in Confucian ethics: should it be understood as “knowing how,” or even “knowing to,” rather than “knowing that”?

Morality is what makes us humans, for the Confucians. But does morality come from inside us, outside us, or both?

Xunzi, a thinker who shaped the course of Confucian philosophy by showing how deliberate effort can overcome our wicked natural tendencies.

Several ancient Chinese texts speak of an egoist and hedonist known as Yang Zhu: did he pose a coherent challenge to the Confucians and other ethicists?

In the Mengzi, the text that bears his name, Mengzi ("Mencius") holds that the human heart-mind is the wellspring of goodness.

Should the remarkable parallels between Aristotelian and Confucian ethics lead us to classify Confucianism as a type of “virtue ethics”?

In this interview, we learn how Kongzi become the pivotal sage of early Chinese history, and what new discoveries teach us about the Confucian tradition.

What does the Analects say about living as a human being? How are individuals embedded in society, and how do they develop their unique identities?

Confucianism puts relationships with family members at the core of their ethical thinking. Is this a strength or a weakness?

Lessons we can take from the teachings of Kongzi (Confucius) in the Analects: challenging authorities, adhering to “benevolence (ren),” and practicing “propriety (li)” in ritual and everyday life.