Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewNot only the best study of the philosophy of the Mozi, but one of the best studies of any classical Chinese philosopher. -- Franklin Perkins, author of Heaven and Earth Are Not Humane: The Problem of Evil in Classical Chinese Philosophy Fraser is at his best and his most original in arguing for an interpretation of Mohist ethical theory as an early consequentialism that builds upon his own careful and persuasive explication of a Mohist philosophy of mind and action-a sui generis social psychology that has contemporary force in challenging the persistent subjective, individualist, and representational assumptions of our old common-sense psychology. -- Roger T. Ames, author of Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation Fraser's book is charitable-persuasively rebutting many standard criticisms of the Mohists-and yet critically engaged with the details of the Mohists' provocative positions. The philosophical study of the Mozicomes of age in this outstanding book. -- Stephen C. Angle, author of Sagehood: The Contemporary Significance of Neo-Confucian Philosophy Fraser is a gifted writer and expositor. Mo Di was not only the first consequentialist but also the first just war theorist, the first critic of extravagant ritual, the first critic of family-first ethics, and the first philosopher to offer what analytic philosophers would count as rigorous arguments. A must read for analytic philosophers who work in ethics and political philosophy. -- Owen Flanagan, author of The Geography of Morals: Varieties of Moral Possibility
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Order, Objectivity, and Efficacy 2. Epistemology and Logic: Drawing Distinctions 3. Political Theory: Order Through Shared Norms 4. Heaven: The Highest Ethical Model 5. Ethics: The Benefit of All 6. Inclusive Care: For Others as for Oneself 7. Motivation: Changing People in a Generation 8. War and Economics Epilogue Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
