Mohism

For several generations after Mozi's death his disciples maintained their effective organization and remained intellectually active. The focus of their interest, however, gradually shifted from sociopolitical issues to epistemological questions. Mozi was the first to display interest in modes of argumentation, proposing three criteria for the validity of his doctrines: their origins in the legacy of the ancient sage kings, their corroboration by people's everyday experience, and their usefulness in everyday affairs. Later Mohists further developed the art of argumentation, which led them to focus on many previously unexplored issues, such as logic, the relation of names to reality, the validation of knowledge in face of changing circumstances, and so on. Six chapters of the Mozi (40–45) summarize their views, remaining the richest source for the largely extinct logical approaches in ancient Chinese thought. The sophistication of Mohists' argumentation had, however, a negative impact on their school. First, the increasingly active search for abstract truth fueled ideological confrontations among the Mohists, which resulted in inevitable splits. Second, preoccupied with epistemological issues, the Mohists turned their backs on political issues, becoming partly irrelevant in contemporaneous intellectual life. As a result, although at the end of the Warring States period Mohism was still defined as "bright learning," its appeal was shrinking. From the second century B.C.E. Mohists largely disappeared from the intellectual scene, although some of their ideas, such as reducing conspicuous consumption and advancing those worthy to the top of political apparatus, had a lasting impact on Chinese thought and Chinese political culture in general.