墨家功利主义及其历史命运

墨家义利观与先秦诸子有所不同。儒家主张贵义轻利 ,法家主张唯利无义 ,墨家则贵义也重利。其所言之利又主要指天下之利 ,其合理意义不言而喻。但墨家功利主义是以自然人性论为基础的 ,不可避免地陷入唯心史观的泥潭 ,随着墨家的衰亡其功利主义思想也一并衰落下去。

The Mohists' Utilitarianism and Historic Destiny

The Mohists' concept of morals and benefits differ from the pre Qin Philosophers'.The confucianists value morals more than benefits;The legalists are bent solely on benefits,however;the Mohists are intent not only on morals but on benefits. The benefits of the Mohists refer to benefits of the whole country,so they are very reasonable.But the Mohists' utilitarianism is based on the theory of human nature,therefore,they unavoidly sink into the morass of historical idealism.With the decline of the Mohists,the utilitarianism is on the wane too.But the idea of the utilitarianism is the treasure of traditional culture in China.It is worth exploring and studying.