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Mo Tzu says the following: ‘In the past, east of Yue there was the country of Gai Shu. When their eldest son was born, they chopped him up and ate him, saying this was advantageous to the younger brothers. When their grandfather died, they carried off their grandmother and abandoned her, saying, ‘One cannot live with the wife of a ghost.’ These practices superiors took as government policy and subordinates took as custom, performing them without ceasing and maintain them without choosing.’ What is the meaning of this passage? What is Mo Tzu’s basic point in invoking these unusual examples?

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MrsWhitfield2018

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This passage asserts that conforming to customs and practices may conflict or may be seen as morally wrong.

Mo Tzu and "mohists" assert that society must be held to unified standards with clear points for social, political, and moral order- as well as that conforming to tradition does not always allow for morality.

In this passage, Mo Tzu gives examples of ritualistic practices and government policies, "...eldest son was born, they chopped him up and ate him, saying this was advantageous to the younger brothers. When their grandfather died, they carried off their grandmother and abandoned her..." Although these practices were traditional, killing one's eldest son and abandoning one's aging grandparent, they could also be seen as morally wrong.

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