Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 11

I was planning on making some time of military patch, but it ended up looking like this instead. No chevrons. Just a wave/arc on top. Was not sure about what to place below that so I placed three of the same shapes and overlapped them. Perhaps the image can be compared to some space or sci-fi patch?

The colors left me kinda puzzled. I googled the nearest mixing colors to grey and got shades of blue, black, red. The light blue kinda looks off, but I am not sure why.

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 10

For this image I decided to mess around with the circles and was going to stick to the B & W scheme of previous images. However, I thought that would make the image pretty boring so I instead placed a "sun" in the center and used blue and red to color two sections. The blue and the red was inspired by the SK flag.

The image would be just perfect if it was not for that single blue line running along the right half of the circle. 

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 9

For the more inspiration I turned towards past video games that I have played with cool logos. The game, Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, had a really logo for ISAF aka the Independent State Allied Forces. For my tribute to the game I wanted to tweak the symbol a bit to include another branch of the military, the paratroopers. Thus, I used the center space to draw out a parachute.

My biggest issue with the image is that the triangles for the base logo are slightly out of place. The bottom left most triangle is slightly closer towards the center than the bottom right triangle, which is slightly protruding outward. A slight translation of the bottom two triangles will rectify this slight misalignment.

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 8

I decided to add an aspect of randomization to the usual symmetrical look that I go for. Still sticking to the B & W color scheme, but tweaking the look to give it an organized chaos type of feel. The overall B & W contrast is still there in the main shapes such as the circle and the rectangular panels.

I added the blocks with Adobe Illustrator's shaper tool. For the random pixelated and blocky additions I tried to have more white blocks on the black side of the image as well as more black blocks on the white side of the image. Not really too sure if the amount of color balances out. However, the overall image does look good.

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 7

Back to B & W. Just love the color scheme too much to give it up. I turned towards making a logo involving a shield. One, because it looks like a cool coat of arms. Two, shields make perfect logos.

I wanted to keep adding more shapes in, but the the B & W opposite look was harder to maintain with additional shapes. I might add curved lines or something that looks fancy to both sides to give it more "aesthetic." For now I am satisfied with how it looks.

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 6

There was a logo design contest for the Brooklyn College Peer Mentoring program. Unfortunately I was unable to attend that Tuesday because the session is at the same time as my organic chemistry recitation. Thus to make up for my absence, I submitted an Adobe Illustrator designed logo visible below. 

The basic plan was to have a mentor helping a mentee and to incorporate the words "Peer Mentor" through some sort of calligraphy. 

*I have already submitted the design to the Brooklyn College Peer Mentor Program. I hereby grant the program the rights to the image including the ability to set trademarks and copyrights. The image visible above is for blog and should not be used without attributing credit.

I used the "P" and "M" from the Peer Mentor as representative of people by attaching a circle to indicate a head. The stairs below were filled with inspirational words connected to the results of peer mentoring. Adding a filled curve to the "P" made it look like the person at the top of the stairs was extending an arm to the "M."

The biggest issue that I have with the image is that the side extensions of the "M" make it look like the lower person is trying to run away from the top person. I plan to rectify this problem by flipping the "M"across the y-axis.

Learning the Adobe Illustrator Part 5

I tried to make a "cool" logo for one of my friends by taking the initials of his name and making a symbol out of them. Unfortunately, I don't think it turned out that great. Especially awkward when the friend you gave it to is not really sure about what the image is suppose to be.

Not sure what is off about it, but something does feel off. I stuck to the black and white color scheme to make it simple.

Graham's Mohist Reaction [Final]

            Angus C. Graham’s book, Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China, portrays Mohism as a radical reaction of lower status individuals to the growing social instability of China. According to Graham, an artisan named Mo (later called Mo-Tzu, Tzu being the “master” honorific) developed Mohism as a school of thought advocating strict utilitarianism. He goes on to say that the end of Mohism went hand in hand with the end of powerful artisan influence in cities. While Graham does well at explaining Mo-Tzu’s three tests of argument and the different sects of Mohism, he mistakenly attributes the Mohist “benefit” principle as originating from status differences. This view of Mohism as a reactionary force of artisans against the status quo taints the rest of his analysis. Mohism was not a school of thought that arose from the lower stratum – it was a school of thought that originated from Confucianism.

            First we will start off with what Graham got right. He paints three different sects of Mohism, which he labels as purist, compromising, and reactionary.[1] The purists are the ones closest to the original doctrine of Mo-Tzu. The other two, compromising and reactionary, deviate from the purist stance, with reactionary being most distant. It is not difficult to imagine such a schism as history provides us with previous examples of religious schisms from the Sunni and Shia of Islam to the Protestant and Catholic of Christianity. A school of thought such as Mohism would be more inclined to fracturing owing to the rigid nature of its doctrine.

            Graham’s next important insight comes when he refers to Mohism’s three tests of argument as, “the Three Gnomons.”[2] The Oxford English Dictionary defines a gnomon as, “A pillar, rod, or other object which serves to indicate the time of day by casting its shadow upon a marked surface; esp. the pin or triangular plate used for this purpose in an ordinary sun-dial.”[3] Mohists believed that judging the morality of actions could be done with precise calculations, making their ideals irrefutable. Thus, Graham’s translation of the three tests to “the Three Gnomons” connects the measurement of time to the Mohist desire for exact measures of mortality. The Three Gnomons of morality are the assertion of origin, validation of the senses, and demonstration of utility.[4] Graham notes that the first and third gnomons are applied more often. In contrast, the validation of the senses, the second gnomon, is only employed on the sections dealing with the spiritual. From afar this appears as a weak point in the Mohist doctrine. Graham explains this peculiarity as an attachment of the lower stratum to rewarding and punishing divinities of “folk religion.”[5] In actuality, Mohists kept spiritual entities in their writings because both ghosts and heaven played important roles in Mohism, as we shall see later on.

            Graham incorrectly introduces Mo-Tzu as an artisan of humble birth and uses this false image as a foundation for his later discussions. He builds his case by pointing to the dry repetitive prose of early Mohist writings as evidence of the writer’s artisan origins.[6] He further theorizes that the fall of Mohism was connected to the loss of artisan influence in cities after the reunification of the Empire.[7] All of these assumptions about artisan origins are false. Graham fails to account for the reason behind Mo-Tzu’s familiarity with Confucianism. Burton Watson comments on Mo-Tzu’s early education in his book, Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, stating “he first studied under the scholars of the Confucian school.”[8] Prior to starting his own school of thought, Mo-Tzu was originally a follower of Confucianism. It is unlikely that someone who works with his hands for craftwork would be a scholar. The more plausible explanation would be that Mo-Tzu was similar to Confucius, a member of the knight class. Further evidence of Mo-Tzu’s scholarly background is available through his heavy use of the Book of Odes and the Book of Documents. He frequently refers to the sage kings and other historical figures.[9] Therefore, Mohism was not an artisan, but a scholar.

            Mo-Tzu’s educational background as a former Confucian explains his bitter attack on Confucius. Nothing makes a more acrid enemy than a former believer. At some point in time, Mo-Tzu became disillusioned with the teachings of Confucius. The reason for Mo-Tzu’s rejection of Confucianism can be seen from the values he criticizes, namely expenditure, music, and fatalism. All these issues stem from the Confucianism’s vagueness on material prospects of the future. Confucian teachings valued learning, ancient rites, and music, but provided no guarantees about achieving success as a statesmen. Instead Confucian ideology shunned official position and wealth, while advocating for abstract concepts like “the way,” and “benevolence.”[10] The vagueness in determining the correct path forward combined with a continuing deterioration of society during the Spring and Autumn Period must have frustrated some Confucians, among them Mo-Tzu. These dissents of Confucianism turned to the concrete idea of “benefit” to inform their actions.[11] Material benefit, unlike benevolence, is a physical quantity that can be measured to provide a standard to judge the morality of actions. This readily available measurement of morality provides a convincing school of thought in opposition to Confucianism.

            The prose and style of Mohist writings reflects, not artisan origins as claimed by Graham, but rather scholarly origins as well as a belief in identifying with one’s superior. The Basic Writings of Mo Tzu seeks to impart the wisdom of its master in similar fashion to the Analects. Thus, most discussions throughout the text begin with “Mo-Tzu said.”[12] Yet the writings of Mo-Tzu differ from the Analects in the number of participants talking. Unlike in the Analects where Confucius converses with his disciples, Mo-Tzu often lectures without other speakers. The lack of other speakers reflects the Mohist belief in respecting one’s superior. There is no room for opposing voices. Either one follows orders or faces punishment from above.[13] This inflexible chain of command ties into the belief of an omnipotent and omniscient heaven.

            Graham attributes Mohist belief in spirits and heaven’s will as a result of their lower status origin. He maps out the Mohist role of heaven as a personal entity to “enforce true morality by reward and punishment.”[14] Graham dismisses this Mohist stance as “less religious.”[15] He acknowledges the new role that heaven plays in Mohism, but sees the use of a deity for ensuring justice as a cheapening of religious value. Graham’s viewpoint is valid. Dragging a supernatural entity into the realm of human politics does create a blurring of the borders between faith and secular society. However, the belief for a deity to have physical effects upon society reflects a sincere desire for more faith. In a way, Mohist conservatism for an omnipresent deity can be seen as akin to a theocracy. Instead of less religious, theocratic states are more religious to the extreme, where laws are dictated by the holy text. In the case of Mohism, a belief in an omnipotent deity is essential to make sure that the hierarchy of authority runs smoothly. Heaven gains religious significance by being at the top of society.

            The fall of Mohism was because of the unpopularity of the doctrine’s rigid code and infighting among the sects. Graham’s artisan theory is no longer tenable as we have already determined that Mohism originated from a disillusioned Confucian scholar. A study of the Mohist ideology reveals why this school of thought could not gain widespread popularity: the ideals are too extreme as a means of living. There is a rigid command structure that turns to omniscient deities to enforce a code of ethics and a universal morality calling for everyone to be treated as family. Stemming from universal morality is a complete rejection of offensive warfare of any kind, regardless of a valid casus belli. Utilitarian calculation removes music and anything that “brings no benefit to the common people.”[16] The removal of life’s excess luxuries leaves just bare necessities for living. Thus, as stated by the author of a late chapter of Chuang Tzu, “It causes the people to be anxious, to be sorrowful, and its ways are hard to follow.”[17] In addition, the teachings of Master Mo became increasingly diluted among the splintered sects. Purists clung on to the original doctrine, but faced stiff competition from rivaling “heretical Mohists” that could appeal to a larger audience by softening or changing policies.[18] The infighting among the sects weakened them to other schools of thought.

             Graham’s faulty vision of Mohism as a school of thought originating from lower stratum artisans unfortunately ruins his subsequent in-depth analysis of the writings of Mo-Tzu. The prose he claims as “ponderous, humourless, repetitive” is an act of dissent from former Confucians to the wordy writings of Confucianism.[19] The repetition in the text is used stylistically to “drum certain set phrases into the mind of the reader.”[20] The “folk religion” tendencies of believing in the supernatural arise as a conservative push to reinforce the rigid demands of universal love and identifying with one’s superior. Ultimately, the fall of Mohism can be attributed to the unrealistic demands of its tenets, not because of a decline in artisan power. Graham should have placed a greater emphasis on the principles of Mohism and its connection to rival schools of thought. Doing so would have allowed him to flesh out the ideology’s origins and avoid misattributing Mohism to artisans.

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[1] Angus C. Graham, A Breakdown of the World Order Decreed by Heaven, 51-53.

[2] Ibid., 37.

[3] "gnomon, n.". OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/79523?redirectedFrom=Gnomon (accessed March 25, 2017).

[4] Burton Watson, Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, 118.

[5] Graham, 47.

[6] Ibid., 34.

[7] Ibid., 34-35.

[8] Watson, 1.

[9] Ibid., 25, 29, 32, 33, 44, 45, 85, 102, 124.

[10] Confucius, The Analects, Book VI, Chapter 4 and Book IX, Chapter 7.

[11] Watson, 62.

[12] These are just some of the examples present in the text. Ibid., 18, 22, 34, 39, 44, 52.

[13] Ibid., 34-35.

[14] Graham, 48.

[15] Ibid., 47-48.

[16] Watson, 111.

[17] Ibid., 13.

[18] Graham, 35. 

[19] Ibid., 34.

[20] Watson, 15.