Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu

Author: Burton Watson Series: Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies, No. 74

Compiling in one volume the basic writings of these three seminal thinkers of ancient China, each from a different philosophical school, this book reveals the richness and diversity of the ancient Chinese intellectual world.

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Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu were three of the most important philosophers in ancient China. This collection of their basic writings points to three very different positions within in the spectrum of Chinese thought and reveals the diversity of of the Chinese intellectual tradition.

Presenting the principle doctrines of Mo Tzu (470Â391 B.C.) and his followers, early rivals of the Confucian school, this section includes writings on music, fatalism, Confucians, and "universal love"-the cornerstone of Mo-ist philosophy-Hsün Tzu (born ca. 312 B.C.) provided the dominant philosophical system of his day. Although basically Confucian, he differed with Mencius by asserting that the original nature of man is evil, and also expounded on such subjects as good government, military affairs, Heaven, and music.

Representative of the Fachia, or Legalist, school of philosophy, the writings of Han Fei Tzu (280?Â233 B.C.) confront the issues of preserving and strengthening the state through strict laws of punishment and reward. His lessons remain timely as scholars continue to examine the nature and use of power.

About the Author

Burton Watson is one of the world's best-known translators from the Chinese and Japanese. His translations include The Lotus Sutra, The Vimalakirti Sutra, Ryokan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home, and The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth Century, all published by Columbia.