Test It Three Ways

Mozi offered three standards, sometimes called gauges, for testing any teaching. First, its basis: does it rest on the record of wise people in the past? Second, its evidence: does it fit what ordinary people have seen and heard? Third, its use: when applied to a state, does it benefit the people?

Together they work like three checks on a measurement. A claim that passes all three is well supported. A claim that fails one, such as a tradition with bad results, deserves a second look.

Later Mohists developed this into a study of names, argument and proof. The practical habit is simple. Before you accept a claim, ask where it comes from, whether people’s experience agrees, and what happens when it is put to use.

The flood claim

A village elder says that cutting the old willow along the river will bring floods. The council wants the wood for a bridge. Ali asks the three questions.

Basis: an old saying, not a record. Evidence: neighbors say floods came in years with and without willows. Use: a bridge would help many, and the council can plant new trees. The claim fails the checks, and the willow is cut with trees planted to replace it.

Try this today Take one claim and ask the three questions: where does it come from, what do people see, and what happens if we act on it?