home | 1000 BCE to 500 CE   previous | next  The anti-Confucian
Scholar, Mozi  After Confucius' death, his teachings were
overshadowed by the scholar Mozi (Master Mo), who was born in
490 BCE – nine years after Confucius had died. Like Confucius,
he was trained in classical literature. Mozi saw the
Confucianists of his time as pretentious and selfish aristocrats
– further evidence that Confucius did not support equality or
democracy. He condemned Confucian preoccupation with religious
ritual, and he ridiculed Confucianists for putting family and
class above the welfare of common people.  Unlike Confucius and
his followers, Mozi believed that all were equal before the lord
of the heavens. He believed that the powers of heaven acted on
the world and exercised a love for all humankind. He spoke of
the value of the labor of common folks, and he advocated
promoting people to positions of power solely on the strength of
their abilities and virtues.  In place of Confucianism's dutiful
love for the father of a family