Mo Zi idealised the Xia Dynasty, and advocated judging ideas and objects through the human senses, by their utility and their antiquity. Mo Zi denounced offensive warfare, extravagant funerals and music, and tried to replace Chinese family and clanic structure with an indistinct "universal love". In this, he argued directly against Confucians such as Mencius, who argued that it was natural for people to love different people in different amounts. He favoured frugality, and advocated increasing the power of the state through early marriage and a system of rewards and punishments. Mo Zi also held a belief in the power of ghosts and spirits.

Mo Zi is also the name of the philosophical text compiled by Mohists from Mo Zi's thought.