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课程详述
COURSE SPECIFICATION
以下课程信息可能根据实际授课需要或在课程检讨之后产生变动。如对课程有任何疑问，请联
系授课教师。
The course information as follows may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen
circumstances, or following review of the course at the end of the session. Queries about the course should be
directed to the course instructor.
1.
课程名称 Course Title
墨家思想概论 An Introduction to Mohist Thought
2.
授课院系
Originating Department
社会科学中心 Center for Social Sciences
3.
课程编号
Course Code
SS090
4.
课程学分 Credit Value
2
5.
课程类别
Course Type
通识选修课程 General Education (GE) Elective Courses
6.
授课学期
Semester
Fall
7.
授课语言
Teaching Language
英文 English
8.
授课教师、所属学系、联系方
式（如属团队授课，请列明其
他授课教师）
Instructor(s), Affiliation&
Contact
（For team teaching, please list
all instructors）
Frank P. Saunders Jr.
南方科技大学人文社会科学荣誉学会 Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts, SUSTech
Email: frank.saunders.jr@outlook.com
9.
实验员/助教、所属学系、联系
方式
Tutor/TA(s), Contact
无 NA
10.
选课人数限额(可不填)
Maximum Enrolment
（Optional）
授课方式
Delivery Method
讲授
Lectures
习题/辅导/讨论
Tutorials
其它(请具体注明)
Other（Please specify）
总学时
Total
11.
学时数
32
32
2
Credit Hours
12.
先修课程、其它学习要求
Pre-requisites or Other
Academic Requirements
无 NA
13.
后续课程、其它学习规划
Courses for which this
course is a pre-requisite
无 NA
14.
其它要求修读本课程的学系
Cross-listing Dept.
无 NA
教学大纲及教学日历 SYLLABUS
15.
教学目标 Course Objectives
This course explores the contributions to these topics and many more made by the ancient Chinese school of thought,
the Mohists.
The Mohists are an important though often underappreciated school of thought in the history of Chinese philosophy.
They were the first in China to develop and defend a systematic normative theory, which was based in a concern for the
consequences of actions, objective moral standards, and consistency. The Mohists employeddetailed arguments to
support their program, and also contributed significantly to the shared conceptual vocabulary of pre-Qin philosophical
thought.
The course is divided into four topics in Mohist thought: Introduction, Epistemology, Political Thought, and Normative
Ethics. We will explore these topics in Mohist thought using a combination of original source readings and secondary
research by contemporary philosophers. Additionally, the course will have a comparative component, whereby we will
explore Mohist ideas in the context of contemporary debates in philosophy, such as the role of truth in philosophy, the
nature of moral statements and their justification, and discussions over the value of communitarianism versus
individualism in political philosophy.
16.
预达学习成果 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will:
• Understand the core ideas of Mohist thought.
• Understand the significance of Mohism in the history of Chinese thought.
• Appreciate the value of philosophy because of the role of Mohism in development of Chinese
philosophy.
• Be able to critically assess and evaluate the main ideas in Mohist thought.
• Better understand the nature of contemporary philosophical scholarship on the Mohists.
17.
课程内容及教学日历 （如授课语言以英文为主，则课程内容介绍可以用英文；如团队教学或模块教学，教学日历须注明
主讲人）
Course Contents (in Parts/Chapters/Sections/Weeks. Please notify name of instructor for course section(s), if
this is a team teaching or module course.)
1. Introduction to Mohist Thought (Weeks 1-4)
Who were the Mohists? What motivated them to create a social and political movement? What were their core doctrines
and ideas? What grievances did they have against their contemporary society and how did they believe these issues
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could be remedied? What is the relationship between Mo Di, the Mohists, and the Mozi text we have today?
Primary Readings
• Mozi: Excerpts from “Condemning Aggression (I)”; “Conforming Upwards 1”; “Models and Standards”; “Inclusive Care
(I)”; “Heaven’s Intent (I, II, III)”
Secondary Readings
• Fraser, 2009, §1–§4, §7-§8; Hansen, 1992, pp. 99–108.
Supplemental Readings: Texts and Authorship
• Fraser, 2009, “Supplement: Texts and Authorship”; Fraser, 2009, “Influence of Social Origins on Mohist Thought”;
Fraser, 2009, §9.
Week 4 meeting is an essay workshop.
2. Mohist Epistemology (Weeks 5-8)
How do the Mohists understand knowledge? What does it mean to know anything, according to the Mohists? What
conceptual tools did the Mohists develop in order to justify their own knowledge claims? How do Mohist conceptions of
knowledge compare to other ancient Chinese conceptions of knowledge, and how do they compare to ones in the
western tradition?
Primary Readings
• Mozi: Excerpts from “Against Fate”; “Against Music”; “Moderation in Burial”; “Understanding Ghosts”; “Heaven’s Intent
(II, III)”.
Secondary Readings
• Xunzi: Excerpts from “Kingly Administration”; “The Way of a Ruler”.
• Loy, 2008.
• Hansen, 1992, pp. 138–43; McLeod, 2016, pp. 59–78; Dewey, 1940 [1993 Reprint], pp. 10–19
Week 8: First Essay Due
3. Mohist Political Thought (Weeks 9-12)
From where does political society arise? What was human life like before society? What is the role of moral norms in
political administration? How is the ruler selected and what justifies the ruler’s authority? What is the role of affluence or
wealth in society? How does the Mohist conception of society compare to contemporary conceptions?
Primary Readings
• Mozi ：Excerpts from “Conforming Upward”;“Promoting the Worthy”; “Condemning Aggression (II, III)”; “Moderation in
Usage (I, II)”.
Secondary Readings
• Zhuangzi: Excerpts from “Horses’ Hooves”, “Opening Luggage”, “Let it be; Leave it alone”, “Heaven and Earth.”
• Hampton, 2007a, Hampton, 2007b, Fraser and Schliesser, 2017.
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• Xunzi, “Enriching the State” 10.7, 10.8, 10.9.
Week 12: Second essay due
4. Mohist Normative Ethics (Weeks 13-16)
What are the components of a good life according to the Mohists? What is the right-making feature of moral judgments?
From where do moral judgments arise?
Primary Readings
• Mozi: Excerpts from “Inclusive Care”; “Heaven’s Intent (I, II, III)”; “Models and Standards”; “Explaining Ghosts (III)”;
“Condemning Aggression (I, III)”; “Moderating Funerals”; “Against Music”; “Identifying Upward”.
• Mengzi：7A:26, 4A:17, 6B:1.
Secondary Readings
• Kagan, 1998, pp. 4–6, 17–22, Van Norden, 2007, pp. 179–197, Back, 2017.
• Li, 2006, Lu, 2006.
18.
教材及其它参考资料 Textbook and Supplementary Readings
Primary sources and scholarly articles to be provided by instructor.
课程评估 ASSESSMENT
19.
评估形式
Type of
Assessment
评估时间
Time
占考试总成绩百分比
% of final
score
违纪处罚
Penalty
备注
Notes
出勤 Attendance
20
Students are expected to participate
in class discussion. Discussion
questions and other forms of prompts
will be given in order to facilitate
preparation for discussion. And
students will periodically be assigned
the task of introducing and starting off
a discussion.
课堂表现
Class
Performance
小测验
Quiz
10
Online Discussion
Students are expected to participate
in online discussion via a course
forum. At minimum, students are
required to make two posts
(maximum 250 words) per course
topic.
课程项目 Projects
平时作业
Assignments
40
Two Short Essays
Students will be asked to write two
short argumentative essays of 1250
words each (each worth 20%). For
these, students will be able to select
from a list of topics determined by
me.
期中考试
Mid-Term Test
5
期末考试
Final Exam
期末报告
Final
Presentation
30
Students will write an argumentative
essay of no more than 1500 words. I
will offer sample topics, but students
are also welcome to pursue their own
topics, provided that they consult with
me first.
其它（可根据需要
改写以上评估方
式）
Others (The
above may be
modified as
necessary)
20.
记分方式 GRADING SYSTEM
A. 十三级等级制 Letter Grading
B. 二级记分制（通过/不通过） Pass/Fail Grading
课程审批 REVIEW AND APPROVAL
21.
本课程设置已经过以下责任人/委员会审议通过
This Course has been approved by the following person or committee of authority