Mozi articulated universal moral concern earlier than any other classical tradition
Evidence
This is — and modern Chinese-philosophy scholars including Chris Fraser, A. C. Graham, Bryan Van Norden have repeatedly noted this — almost word-for-word equivalent to the Hellenistic Stoic phrase agapan ton plēsion hōs heauton, which appears in the New Testament as “love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Mohist articulation predates the New Testament version by approximately five hundred years. It is substantially earlier than Hillel the Elder’s “what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor” — the foundational Talmudic version, articulated in the first century BCE. It is contemporary with — or slightly earlier than — the Buddha’s teaching on mettā — loving-kindness — extended to all sentient beings. The Mohist articulation is, by chronology, one of the earliest surviving statements of the principle of universal moral concern in any literate tradition. — , The Rod and the Child, 973
Categorization
- QUESTION: Worth verifying the comparative chronology of universal-concern formulations across Mohism, Stoicism, Talmudic, and Buddhist sources.
- XREF: Connects to Buddhist mettā (episode on Vinaya) and Western Stoic-Christian universalism treated later in the chapter. — connects to: Mozi held that all children are equally objects of moral concern — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 993; Mozi advocated state redistribution toward poor children centuries before any rival tradition — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 994
Related
- Mozi held that all children are equally objects of moral concern (similarity 0.87)
- Mozi advocated state redistribution toward poor children centuries before any rival tradition (similarity 0.83)
Broader Connections
- Mozi held that all children are equally objects of moral concern
#exemplifies(0.80) — , The Rod and the Child, 993 - Mozi advocated state redistribution toward poor children centuries before any rival tradition
#expands(0.50) — , The Rod and the Child, 994