Episodes

2 days ago
2 days ago
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?

Sunday Jun 15, 2025
HPC 32. Chris Fraser on Mohism
Sunday Jun 15, 2025
Sunday Jun 15, 2025
We conclude our series on Mohism with an interview that looks at the Mohists' dialectic and its relationship to their ethics.

Sunday Jun 01, 2025
HPC 31. Push and Pull: Mohist Dialectic
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
Later Mohists explained in the Canons how to provide compelling philosophical arguments, and how to avoid mistakes in argumentation. Does this count as “logic”?

Sunday May 18, 2025
HPC 30. Horse of a Different Color: the Mohists on Language and Knowledge
Sunday May 18, 2025
Sunday May 18, 2025
What Mohist dialectics and Gongsun Long’s “White Horse Not Horse” argument tell us about the connection between language and knowledge.

Sunday May 04, 2025
HPC 29. Ghost Writers: the Mohists on Religion
Sunday May 04, 2025
Sunday May 04, 2025
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?

Sunday Apr 20, 2025
HPC 28. Ting Mien Lee on Mohism and Confucianism
Sunday Apr 20, 2025
Sunday Apr 20, 2025
An interview on the contrasting views of Mohists and Confucians on ethical duties and warfare.

Sunday Apr 06, 2025
HPC 27. Give Peace a Chance: the Mohists on War and Politics
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
How the Mohist principle of “inclusive care” leads to political order and (mostly) forbids the fighting of wars.

Sunday Mar 23, 2025
HPC 26. Culture Wars: Mohist and Confucian Debates
Sunday Mar 23, 2025
Sunday Mar 23, 2025
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?

Sunday Mar 09, 2025
HPC 25. Benefit, Then Stop: Mohism and Impartial Care
Sunday Mar 09, 2025
Sunday Mar 09, 2025
How did the Mohists establish their consequentialist ethic of “impartial care (jian ’ai)”? Was this theory ultimately grounded in the will of Heaven?

Sunday Feb 23, 2025
HPC 24. Measuring Up: Mohist philosophy
Sunday Feb 23, 2025
Sunday Feb 23, 2025
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.”