Mo Zi on Condemning Offensive Warfare

I am leafing through the magnificent new complete translation of Mozi by Ian Johnston.  It will take a long time to absorb and appreciate fully this great work.  But here is a passage that caught my eye:

Now suppose there was someone who, when he saw a little bit of black, called it black, but when he saw a lot of black, called it white.  We would certainly take this person to be someone who did not know the difference between white and black.  [Likewise], suppose there was someone who, when he tasted a little bitterness, called it bitter, but when he tasted a lot, called it sweet.  We would certainly take this person to be someone who did not know the difference between sweet and bitter.  Now when something small is a crime, people know and condemn it.  When something great is a crime, like attacking states, then they don't know and condemn [it], but go along with it and praise it, calling it righteous.  Can this be spoken of as knowing the difference between what is righteous and what is not righteous?  This is how we know that the gentlemen of the world are confused about the distinction between what is righteous and what is not righteous. (169)

Comments

[medieval costume]

You have a good point there.. but for me, as of today, there's nothing as righteous/good. It's just about the not righteous/evil or the "not so" righteous/lesser evil.. :)