15Amendments

15.1 The standing of the Handbook

15.1.1 墨者之法 is the governing Handbook of 墨门 / The Mohist Community. It binds every Mohist, every chapter (墨社), every region (墨区), the 墨门理事会 (the Council) and the 鉅子 (Juzi, the head of the Community). No one stands above it, the Juzi included.

15.1.2 The Handbook and the Mozi are different things. The Mozi is the text the Community reads and argues about; it is not law. 墨者之法 is a set of rules the Community wrote for itself and changes for itself. Every provision should be justifiable by the Three Tests (chapter 1), but the Handbook makes no claim to be what Mozi meant.

15.1.3 The Handbook is a living document. A rule that turns out in practice to be useless or harmful should be amended, not quietly ignored.

15.2 Who may propose an amendment

15.2.1 An amendment may be proposed by any chapter council; by any fifty Mohists together; or by the Council.

15.2.2 A proposal is submitted to the Council in writing and contains: the number of the provision to be changed; the full new text; the reasons, set out under each of the Three Tests; and the names of the proposers.

15.2.3 The Council may not refuse a proposal that meets the requirements of 15.2.2. It may suggest changes of wording, but may not alter the substance.

15.3 Publication and comment

15.3.1 Every proposal is published on mohist.org in Chinese and English within thirty days of receipt, for a comment period of ninety days.

15.3.2 During that period any Mohist may comment online or in writing. All comments are public and may be signed or anonymous. The proposers may revise the proposal in response; a revised proposal restarts the ninety days unless the change is one of wording only.

15.3.3 During the comment period each chapter discusses the proposal at least once at a monthly meeting and sends the main points to the Council.

15.4 The vote

15.4.1 When the comment period ends, the proposal is put to the chapter delegates at the next 兼爱大会 (assembly). How delegates are chosen is set out in 6.3.4.

15.4.2 An amendment to an ordinary provision requires two-thirds of the delegates present.

15.4.3 An amendment to any of the following requires three-quarters of the delegates present: the Three Tests in chapter 1; the ten affirmations in chapter 2; the 非攻 pledge in 12.3. These three are the foundation of the Community. To change them is to become a different community, so the threshold is higher.

15.4.4 The vote — for, against and abstaining — is published on mohist.org within fourteen days of the assembly.

15.4.5 A proposal that fails may be brought again after one year.

15.5 Interim guidance

15.5.1 Where the Handbook is silent or unclear and the question cannot wait for the next assembly, the Council may issue interim guidance. The guidance states which provision it supplements or interprets and is published as in 15.3.1.

15.5.2 Interim guidance lasts at most one year. Before it expires the Council must bring a formal amendment under 15.2 to 15.4; otherwise the guidance lapses and may not be extended.

15.5.3 Interim guidance may not touch the three matters listed in 15.4.3, and may not create any sanction the Handbook does not provide.

15.6 Versions and effective dates

15.6.1 The Handbook carries a version number in the form "year.number," for example 2027.1. Each adopted amendment produces a new version listing the provisions changed and their text before and after.

15.6.2 An amendment takes effect on the thirtieth day after the assembly adopts it, unless the resolution sets another date. Conduct before that date is judged under the earlier version.

15.6.3 Every version is kept permanently on mohist.org, and anyone may read any past version.

15.6.4 The first page of each version states the version number, the effective date, and the date of the assembly that adopted it.

15.7 Languages

15.7.1 墨者之法 is written in Simplified Chinese and English, and both texts are equally authoritative. The Traditional Chinese text is generated mechanically from the Simplified text and is not amended separately.

15.7.2 Proposals and amendments are submitted in both languages. A proposal in one language only is translated at the Council's arrangement before its comment period begins.

15.7.3 Where the two texts conflict, the Council decides which reading better fits the Three Tests and the purpose of the Handbook as a whole, issues interim guidance under 15.5, and then brings an amendment through the normal procedure to bring the two texts into line. The Council may not treat either language as the default.

15.7.4 The Handbook may be translated into other languages. Such translations are for reference only, carry no authority, and state the version they are based on.

15.8 How to cite the Handbook

15.8.1 Cite the Handbook by its name and the paragraph number, for example: 墨者之法 9.3.2. To cite a whole chapter write 墨者之法 chapter 9.

15.8.2 Where confusion is possible, add the version: 墨者之法 9.3.2 (2027.1).

15.8.3 Cite the Mozi itself by paragraph identifier, for example mz.14.1, matching the text on mohist.org. Citations of the Handbook and citations of the classic are then never confused.

15.8.4 Every provision has a permanent address on mohist.org. Once published, a paragraph is never renumbered. A deleted paragraph keeps its number and is marked "deleted"; a new paragraph is added at the end of its section.