This lesson outlines an alternative to Confucian ideas about filial piety that were articulated by the philosopher Mozi in the 5th century B.C.: universal love. It also highlights Mozi's innovative use of logic and narrative, his contradictory ideas about the immorality of offensive warfare, and the legacy of his rhetorical tactics among later philosophers. We also discuss the dawn of the Warring States era and how Mozi was influenced by the rise in interstate warfare and mass suffering he saw all around him.
