What the standard wants

Introduction

天志中, The Will of Heaven II, is longer than the first and more fully argued. Its main question: why must the standard sit above the Son of Heaven?

Mozi first defines 义: "righteousness is correctness." Then the key inference: "But correctness never comes from below to correct what is above; it must come from above to correct what is below." Commoners cannot set what is correct for themselves; officers correct them. Officers cannot set it for themselves; ministers correct them. Up level by level to the Son of Heaven. "The Son of Heaven cannot set what is correct by himself; Heaven corrects him."

Why not? Mozi's reason is practical: "When the Son of Heaven does good, Heaven can reward him; when he does violence, Heaven can punish him." The Son of Heaven does good and does evil. If he were the highest standard, nothing could call him wrong when he did evil. So there must be a standard above him.

Note that the core of the argument is not "Heaven exists" but "the highest power must be constrained." Today we call that layer a constitution, a charter, or independent review. Mozi's age had none of these, so he placed the function in Heaven.

He then explains why Heaven wants righteousness: because Heaven treats everyone alike. "All states, large or small, are Heaven's towns; all people, young or old, noble or humble, are Heaven's subjects." Heaven "feeds" and "possesses" all alike, so Heaven wants people to "care for one another and benefit one another." This is the deepest ground of impartial care: before a standard that treats everyone alike, no one can be left out.

He then runs a three-tests check. How do we know Heaven cares for the people? First test: the sage kings "cared for all and benefited them" and Heaven rewarded them; the tyrants "hated all and harmed them" and Heaven punished them. Third test: those who follow Heaven's will "care for one another and benefit one another and are surely rewarded"; those who oppose it "hate one another and harm one another and are surely punished."

The chapter closes with the compass and square again, adding: "The wheelwright takes his compass to measure what is round and not round in the world... the carpenter takes his square to measure what is square and not square... so the sage kings took the will of Heaven as their law and their standard."

The three tests

All three tests appear, but watch how Mozi uses them. The first (sage kings rewarded, tyrants punished) and the third (following Heaven's will brings reward) are circular: he uses "was rewarded" to prove "Heaven wants righteousness," and "Heaven wants righteousness" to explain "was rewarded."

Ask: if you replace "Heaven" with "a standard that treats everyone alike," is the circle still there? The Community's answer is no, because "treats everyone alike" can itself be tested: check whether the standard leaves anyone out.

For families

• Ask a child: who is over the teacher? Over the principal? Over the mayor? Keep going up, then ask: "When the person at the very top is wrong, who says so?"
• Explain "all are Heaven's towns, all are Heaven's subjects": before a fair standard, big and small countries, adults and children are the same.
• Try once at home: let a child use a house rule to point out a parent's mistake. The parent's job is to admit it.

For chapters

• Reading: from "correctness never comes from below" to "Heaven corrects him," and the passage "all are Heaven's towns."
• Debate: focus on what corrects the top person when they err. Ask the chapter lead and a council member (if present) to explain the appeals procedure in 墨者之法.
• Three-tests review: discuss the circularity honestly. Record the chapter's view of the position that "a standard treating everyone alike can be tested."