Thursday, 14 March 2024

Plato and Mozi’s Concept of Love: An East-West Cultural Comparative Study | Chapter 5 | Recent Research Advances in Arts and Social Studies Vol. 5

The aim of this research study is to explore the concept of love in philosophy from both western and eastern cultures by examining the differences and similarities between Plato's and Mozi's (Mo-tzu, Mo ti) philosophy. To fully comprehend the concept of love in western philosophy, it is necessary to read Plato's works. Similarly, understanding the concept in eastern philosophy requires reading Mozi's teachings, particularly his famous notion of "Universal love" which is distinct from Confucius’ teaching of ren  and li   Mozi, also known as "Master Mo" (c.470-c.391B.C.), advocates for the concept of "universal love" as the sole type of love permissible. This type of love emphasizes treating all individuals equally, without regard for reciprocation, familiarity, or social status. It extends beyond familial relationships and close friendships to include all people indiscriminately. Therefore, comparing Plato's and Mozi's conceptions of love can further enrich the understanding of the concept at a cross-cultural level. In this research article, the researcher suggests that although Mozi’s concept of love is similar to Plato’s in the aspect that they both agree to the claim that love is a desire for something good, there are many differences between their concept of love that are worth exploring and comprehending such as Mozi proposes that love should be extended universally while Plato’s love tends to be exclusive to himself and his beloved.


Author(s) Details:

Anawat Bunnag,
Faculty of Liberal Arts, Mahidol University, Salaya Campus, Thailand.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RRAASS-V5/article/view/13443

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