墨子 & 儒家

About 700 years before Augustine, 墨子 Mo Tze was arguing that we ought to love one and other as we love ourselves, a universal love.  He was writing in an era that saw from China to Greece philosophers doing work known to this day: Kung fu tze with his way, 儒家, Buddha and Socrates.  Rome at the time was forming its Republic.

We are familiar with these great names, but not Mo Tze, because their systems triumphed as the status quo, his did not.  Although Mo Tze was more popular in his time than Confucius, Confucian ethic won out.  How come?  Confucianism, like Keynesianism and other reigning affects, have the advantage of being well designed  to maintain a heirarchical society, top down.  Mo Tze was not down with that.  Mo tze promoted subsidiarity and was anti-war. Mo tze even predated Jesus with universal love. It did not catch on. Christians believe God himself intervened to teach us how to live.  Don’t feel bad, Mo tze.  Like in 1 Samuel 8, written about your time, the people will not listen even to God himself.

兼愛下:

今吾將正求與天下之利而取之，以兼為正，是以聰耳明目相與視聽乎，是以股肱畢強相為動1宰乎，而有道肆相教誨。是以老而無妻子者，有所侍養以終其壽；幼弱孤童之無父母者，有所放依以長其身。今唯毋以兼為正，即若其利也，不識天下之士，所以皆聞兼而非者，其故何也？”

Universal Love III:

When we try to develop and procure benefits for the world with universal love as our standard, then attentive ears and keen eyes will respond in service to one another, then limbs will be strengthened to work for one another, and those who know the Tao will untiringly instruct others. Thus the old and those who have neither wife nor children will have the support and supply to spend their old age with, and the young and weak and orphans will have the care and admonition to grow up in. When universal love is adopted as the standard, then such are the consequent benefits. It is incomprehensible, then, why people should object to universal love when they hear it.

Bookmark this post --- Email this post