Episode 39: Mohist Consequentialism
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Episode 39: Mohist Consequentialism
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The ancient Mohists are often said to be the world's first consequentialists -- the first on record to propose that we should consistently live by an ethical standard that asks us to bring about as much good as possible for the world. In this episode, we put Mohist consequentialism under a microscope. On the Mohist view, the best action is always the one that maximizes benefit and minimizes harm. How did the Mohists justify this approach? What sorts of things count as "benefit"? Is the theory too demanding to be viable or useful for most people? Join us as we try really hard to set aside our biases and explore what's good and admirable about a central feature of both Mohist ethics and many ethical theories today.
Want to skip to the episode's primary philosophical issue? Go to
- 5:11 Preface to today's topic
- 7:38 Part II -- Mohist consequentialism
Many thanks toThe Global Philosophy of Religion Project and 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.
Co-hosts:
Richard Kim's website
Justin Tiwald's website