Can anyone explain the book burning that happened during the Qin dynasty in China? It’s mentioned briefly during the TV show Cosmos, they explain how Mo-Tzu created the worlds first light aperture. Then, Qin Shi Huang came to power seeking to unify China. In doing so, he allegedly burned all the books he could find, leaving only one copy of each in a library. It’s said he also buried many scholars alive who resisted. I’ve read that this library mostly got destroyed. This altogether effectively stomped most of the progress that had been made by Mo-Tzu. It took another 1000 years before another light aperture was created, by Ibn al-Haytham. He apparently picked up where Mo-Tzu had left off. My concern is that the accounts of the book burning and burying of scholars is debated for being false. I find this subject absolutely fascinating, and would love to know more. I also want to know if what I’ve written is accurate. Imagine what could have been had this book burning not taken place. It’s said that Qin Shi Huang feared knowledge in the hands of the common people above all else. He was ruthless, and enslaved a large portion of China that he had conquered. We live in an age where knowledge is more readily available than ever before. I believe living during the time period of Mo-Tzu must have been both scary as exhilarating for anyone seeking knowledge.
The book burning is mentioned in Shiji. It was Li Si, the prime minister of Qin who suggested Qin Shi Huang to burn the books. But the target were philosophical and historical books, the books on "practical matters" like medicine, forestry, or agriculture weren't included. The reason was politic. Before Qin conquered all warring states and set up an empire, there were various philosophical schools called "hundred schools of thought." For example Confucianism (Ru), Daoism, Legalism (that was practised by Qin), Mohism (by Mo-Tzu/Mo Zi), Military/Strategist (like Sun-Tzu), etc. The philosophers weren't agree with each other and sometimes they were in opposing sides. Qin seized the books and burnt them so people won't learn and argue about any other schools of thought besides the one endorsed by the empire. Instead, Li Si suggested people who wanted to learn the law to learn it from the officials. So it was a propaganda move to control the population.
But the burying of scholars was a different incidents. Qin Shi Huang became fascinated with immortality so there were alchemists trying to win emperor's heart. But of course the alchemists failed to produce immortality elixir despite wasting lots of money. The Emperor was angry and gave the order to kill all "scholars" in the capital. The "scholars" here were the magicians and alchemists.
After the fall of the Qin and the rise of the Han, Confucianism was elevated in the reign of Han Wudi and stayed until the end of imperial era. Thus there was a doubt whether the story of book burning and burying the scholars are factual or not. After all it only appeared first in Sima Qian's Shiji, written in Han dynasty (his version still implicated magicians). Later, the "buried scholars" were associated to Confucian scholars. And the 2 events (burning of the books and burying the scholars) compounded in a saying, given impression that it happened at the same time.
Anyway Mo-Tzu aka Mozi was lived in early warring states period, way before Qin Shi Huang set up his empire. His time was the time of flourishing hundred schools of thought. There were states at war with each other (hence the name), and each one tried to bested her rivals. The philosophers were sought by the states. So for Mozi the time was suitable for his "knowledge adventure".