The Mozi: A Complete Translation

by Ian Johnston (Translator)

The "Mozi" is a key philosophical work written by a major social and political thinker of the fifth century B.C.E. It is one of the few texts to survive the Warring States period (403-221 B.C.E.) and is crucial to understanding the origins of Chinese philosophy and two other foundational works, the "Mengzi" and the "Xunzi." Ian Johnston provides an English translation of the entire "Mozi," as well as the first bilingual edition in any European language to be published in the West. His careful translation reasserts the significance of the text's central doctrines, and his annotations and contextual explanations add vivid historical and interpretive dimensions.

Part 1 of the "Mozi" is called the "Epitomes" and contains seven short essays on the elements of Mohist doctrine. Part 2, the "Core Doctrines," establishes the ten central tenets of Mo Zi's ethical, social, and political philosophy, while articulating his opposition to Confucianism. Part 3, the "Canons and Explanations," comprises observations on logic, language, disputation, ethics, science, and other matters, written particularly in defense of Mohism. Part 4, the "Dialogues," presents lively conversations between Master Mo and various disciples, philosophical opponents, and potential patrons. Part 5, the "Defense Chapters," details the principles and practices of defensive warfare, a subject on which Master Mo was an acknowledged authority. Now available to English-speaking readers of all backgrounds, the Mozi is a rich and varied text, and this bilingual edition provides an excellent tool for learning classical Chinese.

Genres: Philosophy, China, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Ancient, Chinese Literature

1032 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 401

About the author

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Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely thorough and readable scholarly translation of Mozi, a text that is very repetitive and dry. Johnston's work in translating this text is impressive and laudable. The original text itself is one of the more difficult to engage with among the classics of Chinese philosophy, especially the sections on logic and military defenses. That being said, this is the most approachable version I have seen and the footnotes are very helpful.

[Josh Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4 stars for the excellent presentation, translation, and the very high quality of the book in general. It would have been rated higher if the book was a bit less tedious. The Classical Chinese text is well presented on the left pages with proper annotations and spacing, and the overall text is well organized. The binding is very good, and it should hold up for many years, it’s was definitely worth buying.

[Emily Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

This philosophy can really lead to some heated discussion! Some of his points seem pretty idealistic but positive, but they are somewhat over shadowed by a lack of free will and rationality!

[Manuel Del Río Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have made a video review of this book in case you might be interested:
https://youtu.be/_14gwXK9fvo

[Kden0.0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good translation and definitely the best bilingual Mozi book out there. Great if you are trying to read it in Classical Chinese as well because there are footnotes!!!! So so useful.

In regards to Mohist philosophy I think it is just interesting to read as a counterpoint to Confucianism and Legalism which ended up historically coming out on top. Generally though some of the points were really fascinating, especially the treatise on defensive warfare and the rejection of fatalism.

I loved reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to read more underrated ancient Chinese philosophy.

[Finnian Quail · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting counter-example to the long-standing tradition that 1) Chinese philosophy doesn't deal in logic and epistemology and that 2) Chinese philosophy is
"told in amusing fables ^-^"
- some idiot from lainchan

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

看墨子拆下儒家的思想超級過癮