-440 – -360
Yang Zhu (楊朱) was a Chinese philosopher of the Warring States period (c. 4th century BCE) best known for his doctrine of wei wo (為我, 'for oneself'), which held that individuals ought to preserve their own lives and physical integrity above all social obligations. His position was influential enough that Mencius singled it out as one of the two dominant heterodox threats of his era, claiming Yang Zhu would not pluck a single hair even to benefit the world. No writings attributed to him survive intact, but his ideas are reconstructed from polemical accounts in Mencius, Zhuangzi, and the later Liezi.
Developed the doctrine of wei wo ('for oneself'), one of the earliest systematic defenses of radical individualism in Chinese thought
Articulated a philosophy of self-preservation that prioritized individual life over Confucian social duties and Mohist universal concern
Established a school significant enough that Mencius treated it alongside Mohism as the two chief rival positions to Confucianism
Influenced early Daoist literature, particularly strands in the Zhuangzi and the Liezi that emphasize naturalness and non-sacrifice of the self
Challenged prevailing collectivist ethics with a naturalistic account of human flourishing grounded in bodily integrity