-470 – -391
Mozi (Mo Di, c. 470–391 BCE) was the founder of Mohism, one of the major philosophical schools of ancient China and a principal rival to Confucianism during the Warring States period. He advocated universal love (jian'ai), consequentialist ethics, and meritocracy in opposition to Confucian ritual, partiality, and hereditary privilege. His school developed early contributions to logic, argumentation theory, and natural philosophy.
Founded the Mohist school, the first organized philosophical movement in China to rival Confucianism
Developed the doctrine of universal love (jian'ai) as an impartial ethical standard
Pioneered consequentialist reasoning in Chinese philosophy, evaluating practices by their benefit to society
Advanced early formal logic and dialectical argumentation in the Mohist Canons
Argued against aggressive warfare and costly ritual on utilitarian grounds