The Word and the Way inMozi

Bibliographic Data

ID4079073
AuthorsHui‐chieh Loy (0000-0002-4105-7770, National University of Singapore, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume6
Issue10
Pages652-662
Publication date2011-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophy Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1747-9991.2011.00426.x
OpenAlexW1546269482
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

According to A. C. Graham, 'the crucial question' for the early Chinese thinkers was 'Where is the Way [dao]?'-'the way to order the state and conduct personal life' rather than 'What is the Truth?'1This observation is most apt when applied to the thinking of Mozi (flor. ca. fifth century to early fourth century BCE) and his followers (the 'Mohists') as it is exemplified in the ethical and political chapters of the eponymously named text (MoziChapters 1-39, 46-51).2A striking feature of the Mohists' thinking, however, is the concern they have withyan('sayings', 'speeches', 'words', 'discourses'), and the role they assigned toyanin their ethical project. Part I of this article will outline the nature and scope of the Mohists' concern withyan. In the Mohists' conception, rightyanis the linguistic counterpart to properdao. And conduct that followsdaois a matter of affirming the rightyanand taking it as a model in one's actions. The Mohists' concern withyanis prominently exhibited in their proposing objective standards, or 'gauges', by means of which anyyanmay be assessed. Part II introduces these gauges and discusses how they function as standards for rightyanand right conduct. Given the generally pragmatic outlook of their thinking, the question remains as to whether, in their conception ofyan, the Mohists conceived of language exclusively in terms of its action guiding function, and whether they deployed the notion of truth at all. Part III discusses this issue, arguing that there is a minimal sense in whichyanthat are positively assessed by the gauges are true, and that the Mohists are not insensitive to the distinction between descriptive as opposed to action guiding uses of language. Part IV briefly discusses how the Mohists' attitude towardsyancontrasts with those of early Confucian and Daoist thinkers

Epistemology · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · Computer Science · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy

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