Episode 27: Mohism—Two Arguments For Impartial Caring This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy podcast

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Episode 27: Mohism—Two Arguments for Impartial Caring

6d ago 1:02:43

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This episode examines the Mohist doctrine of impartial caring (jian'ai) via two arguments in the Mozi -- the Caretaker Argument and the Filial Piety Argument. We examine the arguments' logical structure, psychological plausibility, and practical applicability. We also discuss the importance of reciprocity, and competing interpretations of "impartial caring," from the less demanding don't-harm-anyone interpretation to stronger equal-concern readings, setting them against the Confucian model of care with distinctions (graded love). We also consider what genuine filiality requires and how different moral frameworks shape familial and social practices.

Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.
Want to continue the discussion? Need links to some of the sources mentioned? Go to the support page for this episode on Warp, Weft, and Way.
We thank Lena Li (LI La 李拉 ) for her expert editing and sound engineering. We also thank the blog Warp, Weft & Way for hosting the discussion for this episode.

Want to skip to the philosophical content?

4:01 Preface to today's topic: arguments for impartial caring (jian'ai 兼愛)

Co-hosts:
Richard Kim's website
Justin Tiwald's website

Chapters

1. Part I -- Introduction (00:00:00)

2. • Preface to today's topic: arguments for impartial caring (jian'ai 兼愛) (00:04:01)

3. Part II -- Two Mohist arguments for impartial caring (00:06:19)

4. • Quick account of "impartial caring" (jian'ai 兼愛) (00:06:25)

5. • Quick preview of the arguments (00:13:32)

6. • The Caretaker Argument (first argument) (00:13:49)

7. • Is the problem one of logical inconsistency? (00:18:56)

8. • The false dichotomy objection (00:23:05)

9. • Maybe the problem is practical inconsistency, not logical inconsistency (00:31:43)

10. • How much can we generalize from the caretaker argument? (00:35:34)

11. • The Filial Piety Argument (second argument) (00:37:37)

12. • Does the argument just assume reciprocal treatment between families? (00:41:10)

13. • Does it count as "impartial caring" if you just want to help them in order to get benefit in return? (00:44:31)

14. • Relational vs. non-relational accounts of the filial person's preferences (00:47:31)

15. • Minimally demanding vs. maximally demanding interpretations of "impartial caring" (00:55:38)

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