History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

HPC 34. You Don’t Say! the Dao That Cannot Be Told

The first rule of dao is: don’t talk about dao. We do so nonetheless, focusing on its role in metaphysics and language.

HPC 33. Let Us Count the Ways: What is Daoism?

What does “Daoism” refer to in a range of contexts, and how have excavated texts changed our understanding of the tensions between Daoism and Confucianism?

HPC 32. Chris Fraser on Mohism

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

HPC 31. Push and Pull: Mohist Dialectic

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

HPC 30. Horse of a Different Color: the Mohists on Language and Knowledge

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

HPC 29. Ghost Writers: the Mohists on Religion

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?

HPC 28. Ting Mien Lee on Mohism and Confucianism

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

HPC 27. Give Peace a Chance: the Mohists on War and Politics

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

HPC 26. Culture Wars: Mohist and Confucian Debates

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?

HPC 25. Benefit, Then Stop: Mohism and Impartial Care

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