The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 296 The Originator of Scientists
Speaking of scientists in ancient China, the first person to be praised is Mozi, the originator of scientists.

It is no exaggeration to say that ancient scientists basically followed the path of Mozi.

A few years ago, China launched the world's first quantum science experimental satellite, Mozi, into space.

What is gratifying is that Mozi represents my country’s top position in the field of global quantum communication technology.

There is a reason why the quantum satellite is named after Mozi, a pre-Qin thinker.

The concept of quantum originated from modern scientific understanding of light.

The first recorded scholar in human history to systematically study optics was Mozi, the pioneer who conducted small hole imaging experiments.

Mozi was not only a famous thinker in the pre-Qin period, but also the most important scientist in early China.

At the same time, he is also the first technical expert in China's military history to delve into military technology and use scientific principles to develop a large number of heavy weapons.

Mozi is an outstanding representative of the great creative spirit of the Chinese people in history. It is indeed appropriate to name the quantum satellite, an important instrument of a great power, after Mozi.

"At the end of the Warring States Period, Han Feizi, a representative figure of Legalism, returned from his studies and was not reused in South Korea."

"Han Feizi had no choice but to retire at home and spent all his energy writing the book "Han Feizi"."

"In the book, Han Feizi thinks."

"The outstanding learning of the world is Confucianism and Mohism."

"Wherever Confucianism goes, Confucius is also there."

"Wherever the ink goes, there is also the ink."

"Han Feizi is a representative of Legalism. In his opinion, in his era, only Confucianism and Mohism could be called prominent schools."

"The so-called explicit knowledge refers to the hot topics at that time."

"It can be seen that even in the late Warring States Period, the influence of the Mohist school was still not inferior to other schools of thought at the same time."

"It is a pity that Qin Shihuang unified the seven kingdoms. Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism still exist, but Mohism has disappeared."

“The Spring and Autumn Period was a time when hundreds of schools of thought and a hundred flowers blossomed, which was the heyday of the development of Chinese philosophy and culture.”

"The reason why there was a hundred schools of thought contending, from a political point of view, was because the Zhou royal family was in decline at that time, and rituals and music collapsed."

"Emperor Zhou's original approach no longer worked, and many scholars sought to establish new social rules, thus forming many doctrines."

"Among the hundreds of schools of thought, there are four that are the most famous and influential, namely Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism."

"When Ma Qian of Taishi Company wrote "Historical Records", he wrote biographies for representatives of Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, but he did not write a biography for Mozi."

"It's not that Sima Qian looked down on Mozi, but because after the unification of Qin, Mohist thought almost disappeared."

"Sima Qian's headache was that he couldn't find relevant information and couldn't write anything."

"Sima Qian couldn't figure out Mozi's origins, and it was difficult to explain the era in which Mozi lived."

"I only know that Mozi has two characteristics: he is good at defense and lives a frugal life."

Xu Guangqi: Mozi was a man whose thinking was ahead of his time.

Although Mozi was a descendant of a noble family, his family was already in ruins when he was born.

Mozi was born a commoner and worked as a shepherd boy and a carpenter.

Then he traveled around the world from his youth and became a disciple of Confucianism, but finally turned into a rebel.

Mozi not only debated with Confucianism throughout his life, but also formed a unique team.

Mozi had hundreds of disciples, mainly composed of urban civilians and yeoman farmers.

The members are called Mo Zhe, and they have extremely strict discipline, even going through fire and water without hesitation.

Compared to other schools of thought at the same time, every member of this team is like a warrior.

Compared with Mozi's scientific thoughts, what shocked Mozi more at that time were his ten propositions.

Universal love, non-aggression, respect for the virtuous, respect for colleagues, respect for heaven, service to ghosts, non-pleasure, non-fate, frugal use, and frugal burial.

Every one of them is refreshing to the Warring States Period, when conquests and killings became a habit.

What Mozi pursued was a world without war, where frugality was advocated, and where music would not even mess with people's minds.

For the sake of this world, Mozi spent his whole life preaching.

He even led the children of the Mohist family into battle after battle, using fighting methods to stop the war.

The Mohist Family has since become an extremely well-known fighting group during the Warring States Period.

Even behind Mozi, the Mohist family pursues universal love.

He even got involved in various disputes during the Warring States Period, and was constantly used by politicians from the major countries of Qin and Chu.

Despite this, the spirit of the Mohists who went through fire and water still gave rise to countless exciting stories.

However, compared to these ideological propositions, Mozi's scientific thinking was more advanced.

Mozi's scientific thoughts shone brightly for more than two thousand years.

Mozi's concept of the universe, the mathematical views of limits and aspects, and the exploration of physical concepts such as forces have had an extremely far-reaching influence.

It is no exaggeration to say that ancient Chinese scientists like him are indeed following the path of Mozi.

Although Mohist thought gradually disappeared after the Warring States Period.

But its scientific spark still continues to illuminate the way forward.

"Mozi was born as a commoner and learned carpentry when he was young."

"Mozi's ability in making instruments even surpassed that of Lu Ban."

"Mozi was originally a disciple of Confucianism, but later he felt that Confucianism could not change the world."

"So he created his own sect, developed Mohist thought, and recruited many disciples."

"There is an essential difference between the Mohist school and other schools of thought, that is, they are too simple and similar to ascetics."

"As we all know, Confucius and Mencius regarded themselves as nobles."

"They went out and there were rows of cars and horses behind them."

"But Mozi traveled around to study, wearing commoners and straw sandals, which was completely different from Confucianism."

"Love universally and not attack, these are the four most core words in Mohist thought."

"When Mozi first founded the Mohist school, it was probably not very impressive."

"In front of the huge Confucian school, the Mohist school did not attract much attention at first."

"But as the number of Mohist disciples increased, Confucianism became nervous."

"Mencius said this after studying Mohist thought in detail."

"The Mohist school's remarks are too terrible. If they are not stopped, the world will belong to them in the future."

"It can be seen that the rise of the Mohist school poses a great threat to Confucianism."

"Confucius founded the Confucian school, and Mozi founded the Mohist school."

"The collision between Confucianism and Mohism was the greatest ideological collision during the Warring States Period, a collision of positive and negative poles."

“Confucius regarded himself as an aristocrat and upheld the traditional hierarchy.”

"But Mozi regarded himself as a common man and pursued a new social order of universal love."

"Confucius lived in a position of dignity and had hundreds of followers."

"Mozi lived a simple life and was willing to be an ascetic."

"Confucius advocated using words but not using hands, while Mozi was a defensive warrior."

"Confucius believed that all handicrafts were ingenuity, while Mozi was a master of mechanics."

"Confucius and Mozi are polar opposites in values, and they are destined to be irreconcilable."

"Confucianism has always focused on theory, while Mohism has focused on hard work."

Wang Yangming: Mozi’s idea of ​​universal love and non-aggression is actually a kind of chivalrous spirit.

Mozi formed his own ideological system during his study tours.

On the issue of love, Mohism and Confucianism are very different.

Mozi clearly pointed out that all the troubles in the world originate from people not loving each other.

The ministers do not love the king but only love themselves, thus harming the king's interests to benefit themselves.

A thief only loves his own home and not the homes of others, so he steals from other people's homes to profit from his own home.

By analogy, wars between countries are also caused by people not loving each other, so they conquer other people's countries to benefit their own country.

Since the lack of love between people is the source of all kinds of disasters in the world, as long as everyone can love each other, a harmonious ideal society can certainly be built.

The universal love required by Mozi is obviously an unconditional and undifferentiated love that casts aside the concept of hierarchy, which is very different from the Confucian benevolence based on etiquette.

The ideological differences between Mohism and Confucianism are also the root cause of the contradiction between the two.

When it comes to chivalrous people, the usual impression is of a heroic image of being chivalrous and courageous.

However, the specific thoughts about Xia were first standardized by Mozi.

Mozi's chivalrous spirit is reflected in his dedication to the world through fire and water in order to realize the great justice of the world.

The essence of Confucianism's sense of moral responsibility to society is to help the world and save the people.

But the monarch refused to appoint him, so he had to live alone.

Mozi's attitude was more positive than that of Confucianism.

Mozi loved the world and was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the world.

Compared with Mohism, Confucianism is more sophisticated.

Because of this, Mozi's sense of social responsibility is the embodiment of his chivalrous spirit.

Universal love and non-aggression together constitute Mozi's chivalrous mind of caring for the world and adhering to justice.

I have to say that Mozi’s sense of social responsibility and responsibility are indeed admirable.

But he knew very well that Mozi's ideas and propositions were impossible to realize in this era.

Universal love and non-aggression will obviously not be accepted by rulers of all dynasties and generations. And it is precisely for this reason that the Mohist family gradually declined after Mozi's death, until it disappeared in the long river of history.

"In the distant pre-Qin era, the hierarchy of kings and nobles was strict."

"All civilians want to become scholars, and all scholars want to become nobles. Even down-and-out nobles like Confucius still retain their yearning for nobles."

"But Mozi was different. He regarded himself as a low-level commoner and did not seek to be famous."

"I live frugally all day long, live on simple meals, and walk in straw sandals."

"Work hard all day long, running for the benefit of all people."

"Pre-Qin thinkers like Mozi are actually the most rare."

"Perhaps Mozi's thinking was too advanced, which led him to be arrogant and reticent."

"The greatness of Mozi during his lifetime cannot cover up the loneliness of Mozi after his death."

"The Mohist School is not only a school of thought, but also a mysterious organization."

"They not only have their own doctrines, but also a group of loyal believers, thus forming a mysterious defense force."

"About 445 BC, Lu Ban helped the Chu State build ladders and planned to attack the Song State."

"After Mozi heard about it, he rushed to Chu State on foot for ten days and nights. On the other hand, he asked his apprentices to hold their own defensive equipment and set up defenses on the walls of Song State."

“In the end, a combination of carrot and stick was used to avoid this war.”

"This story also gave birth to an idiom, stick to the rules, which originally meant that Mozi was very good at guarding the city."

"In addition to engineering technology, Mozi also conducted research in basic physics."

"For example, Mozi believed that the reason why an object can move is because it is acted upon by force."

"Mozi also believed that when an object is subjected to force, it will also produce a reaction force."

"In addition to mechanics, Mozi also conducted research in many fields such as optics, acoustics, and even mathematics."

"The Mohist family has a very strict internal structure. Their leader is called Juzi, and he is appointed for life."

"The Mohist disciples take the benefit of all people as their principle and resolutely carry out Juzi's orders."

"Even if there is a mountain of swords and a sea of ​​fire ahead, don't take a step back."

"Many of Mozi's philosophical ideas are still very advanced today."

"Many of Mozi's spiritual qualities are still noble today."

"The Mohist school's spirit of being brave and eager to deal with the difficulties of others is worth promoting."

“The Mohist school’s spirit of diligence, thrift, and hard work is commendable.”

"The Mohist school's spirit of consistent words and deeds and no empty words is what society needs."

“The Mohist school’s pure heart and all-people spirit are immortal.”

"Mozi and his Mohist school were so great, but they disappeared collectively after Qin Shihuang unified the six countries."

Ying Zheng: If we say that King Hui of Chu succumbed to Mozi, it would be better to say that he succumbed to a new school of thought.

During the Warring States Period, there was a time when the Chu State wanted to attack the Song State.

Lu Ban specially designed and manufactured a kind of ladder for Chu State in preparation for siege.

Mozi was in the state of Qi at that time. When he got the news, he rushed to the state of Chu to dissuade him.

After walking for ten days and ten nights, when they arrived at the capital of Chu, they immediately found Lu Ban and went to see the King of Chu together.

Mozi tried his best to persuade the King of Chu and Lu Ban not to attack the Song Dynasty. This is the reason why Mozi saved Song Dynasty.

This story has derived another idiom, stick to the rules.

Mozi dissuaded the King of Chu from attacking the Song Dynasty, and the King of Chu finally agreed.

But they were reluctant to give up their newly built siege equipment and wanted to try its power in actual combat.

Mozi took off his belt, built a city wall, used wood chips as weapons, and asked Lu Ban and him to perform performances on behalf of the offensive and defensive sides respectively.

Luban used different methods to attack the city many times, but was blocked by Mozi many times.

Lu Ban's siege equipment had been exhausted, but Mozi's defense strategy was more than enough.

Lu Ban refused to admit defeat and said that he had a way to deal with Mozi, but he didn't say it.

Mozi said he knew how Lu Ban would deal with him, but he didn't tell him.

King Chu didn't understand and asked what it meant.

Mozi said that Lu Ban wanted to kill him, thinking that if he killed him, there would be no one to help Song defend the city.

Little did Lu Ban know that Mozi's disciples, about three hundred in number, were already waiting there for Chu to attack.

Seeing that he was no longer sure of victory, the King of Chu decided not to attack Song.

Mozi used his superhuman wisdom to conquer Lu Ban and King Hui of Chu. King Hui of Chu gave up the idea of ​​conquering Song in front of the wise man.

The story of sticking to the rules is a classic example of Mozi putting his thoughts of universal love and non-aggression into action.

"There are four major reasons that led to the extinction of the Mohist family."

"First, serve the people, not the king."

"The Mohists advocated equality and fraternity, and took protecting the people as their own responsibility."

"To put it bluntly, the Mohist family is essentially for the people, not for the rulers."

"This kind of doctrine of serving the people but not the king would be difficult to survive in a feudal society."

"Second, Mozi's thinking is too advanced."

"For a long time, Mozi's disciples could only understand the basic level, which made it impossible to inherit and develop it in depth in the later period."

"Looking at the representatives of the Mohist school, it is almost difficult to find another one besides Mozi. This is also one of the reasons for the decline of the Mohist school."

"Third, the scary thing about organizations."

"The Mohists are not just a school of thought, they also have a very powerful armed organization."

"These Mohist disciples obey the orders of their leaders. In times of war, they have a market."

"But after the world is unified, this kind of organization will be a huge threat to the rulers, and the Mohists will inevitably be suppressed."

“Fourth, the mental requirements are too high.”

"The Mohist school requires its disciples to be strict with themselves, to be clothed like prisoners and fed like beggars. It may attract many people when it first arises."

"But as time goes by, the light of idealism fades, many disciples are seduced by materialistic desires, and there are fewer and fewer successors."

"It's not that Mozi's requirements are too high, but that social development has not reached that point, and Mozi is too ahead of his time."

"Fifth, the erosion of competitors."

"In the pre-Qin period, Mohist thought was unique and incompatible with Confucianism and Legalism."

"Therefore, whether it was the Qin State, which governed the country with Legalism, or the Han Dynasty, which only respected Confucianism, the Mohists were bound to be squeezed out."

"Especially after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was determined to be the orthodoxy of the world."

"External Confucianism and internal law have become a tool commonly used by rulers, and the old rival of the Mohists has no room for survival."

Liu Che: Mohism’s ideological propositions could not be accepted by emperors of various dynasties, so it is not surprising that they eventually disappeared.

The ideological differences between Mohism and Confucianism doomed Mohism to be short-term.

The first one is destiny.

Compared with the related thoughts of Confucianism, Mohism advocates non-fate.

That is to say, we do not believe in fate, and wealth and poverty are not destined by God.

The order composed of noble families was shattered by a brutal attack.

And what is derived from Fei Ming is Mozi's idea of ​​advocating virtue.

The so-called rulers should be chosen by the common people.

Even craftsmen and farmers should be promoted as long as they have talent.

What's even more subversive is that Shangxian didn't even let the ruler go.

The so-called emperor, in Mozi's view, could also be chosen by the common people.

Officials at all levels can be virtuous, and the emperor can also be virtuous.

This novel idea seemed to challenge the hierarchical system at that time, so it was understandable that it was suppressed by the king.

Compared with this kind of political proposition that subverts ideas, what Mozi and Confucianism are more opposed to is the philosophical concept of the Three Tables Law.

On the issue of understanding things, Mozi put forward the concept of three tables.

That is, historical experience, what we have seen and heard, and the interests of the people of the country.

Everything must be evaluated according to such standards.

The various political opinions of various schools of thought are naturally at odds with each other when faced with these three expressions.

After Mozi's death, the later Mohists further deepened Mozi's theory of three tables.

In terms of argumentation of things, Mohists developed a reasoning model.

That is, through assumptions, metaphors, reasoning, analogies and other methods to obtain the truth of things.

This new mode of thinking will quietly boost the development of Chinese civilization in later generations.

However, in the current era, such a Mohist is destined not to be accepted by a ruler like him.

Compared with Confucian ideas, Mohism stands exactly opposite to the rule of kings.

Especially after the establishment of a unified state power, exclusive respect for Confucianism became the mainstream, and the space for Mohism naturally became narrower and narrower.

But then again, now that he already knows the importance of science.

Mozi's ideas and propositions can be discarded, but Mozi's scientific achievements can be inherited.

(End of this chapter)