Mozi
Many figures in the intellectual history of China are hazy, but Mozi (c. fifth century bce) is particularly so. Basically nothing is reliably known about him, although he offered what is often seen as the most important alternative to Confucius' ideas among the early thinkers.
The text Mozi was influential and violence is prominent in its presentation. As part of its fundamental interest in universal caring as a philosophical principle, it argues at length against military aggression because of the harm it does to the common people who do the actual fighting and because of its costs to the state.The Mozi likens unnecessary war to murder. In a fashion typical of the text, it makes its argument in the form of a ponderous logical chain. It begins by listing acts of theft, each more serious than the previous, then caps the list by bringing in murder, which is more grave than even the worst theft. Thus, it says, ‘If someone kills a man, he is condemned as unrighteous and must pay for his crime with his own life'.[859] The argument proceeds step by step, condemning one who murders ten or a hundred, and asserting that everyone would support the punishment of execution to punish such a crime. The contrast with war follows:
Now all the gentlemen in the world know enough to condemn such crimes and brand them as unrighteous. And yet when it comes to the even greater unrighteousness of offensive warfare against other states, they do not know enough to condemn it. On the contrary, they praise it and call it righteous.
(ibid.)
The Mozi thus puts harm done to others on a continuum. Violence lies on this continuum, of course, but is not qualitatively distinct from stealing, only of a greater gravity. Mozi criticises furthermore the steps rulers take to inspire or compel their troops to fight. Yet not all warfare is unacceptable in his presentation. It is sometimes necessary to punish a state that has done wrong.