Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hs¿n Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu

Rating:
Summary: helpful information
Review: This is a good edition of three books that ought to be better known than they actually are. One point to consider when shopping: the book is actually more like 450 pages than the 130... It is three books bound together, each of which is also published individually as a translation of Watson's. Since this book is hardcover and they are trade paperbacks, this copy (particularly at used prices) is more desirable...

Rating:
Summary: Fine translations of fascinating philosophers!
Review: This is actually three books bound together. Each is a very good translation of a major ancient Chinese philosophical text. Although these philosophers are not as well known in the West as Confucius or Lao Tzu, they are very much worth reading.

Mo Tzu was an early critic of Confucianism; he founded a movement known as "Mohism." The Mohists advocated "universal love." This is less sexy than it sounds: they mean simply caring for each person equally, as opposed to the Confucian doctrine that one should care more for family members than for strangers. Mo Tzu is noteworthy because he is perhaps the first Chinese sage to present genuine philosophical arguments. The "essays" in this collection will challenge your preconceptions about Chinese philosophy: they are practical, hard-headed, and relentlessly rational.

Hsun Tzu (pronounced like "syun zuh") was a major figure in later Confucianism. He is best known for his doctrine that "human nature is evil." This teaching got him condemned by Song and Ming Dynasty Confucians, who thought that the view of the rival philosopher Mencius that human nature is good was the orthodox view. However, Hsun Tzu is a careful, systematic, and eclectic thinker. He may be the greatest Confucian philosopher of ancient China.

Han Fei Tzu was a figure in the so-called "Legalist" movement. Although Legalism could sometimes be pushed to draconian extremes, Han Fei Tzu has lots of insightful advice about realpolitik.

Burton Watson is one of the leading translators of Chinese philosophy and literature. He lives in Japan, and is heavily reliant on Japanese scholarship, but Japanese translations of Chinese texts are often pretty good, so this isn't a bad thing.