Category Archives: Confucianism

Two Jobs at Yuelu Academy / Hunan University

Yuelu Academy of Hunan University is advertising two jobs that each relates somewhat to Chinese philosophy. I am informed that they are looking for candidates who can teach in English. The jobs:

  • Fields described as “Graeco philosophy, Patristics, medieval philosophy, German classic philosophy, modern Christian theology, Bible studies, comparative religions and Confucian-Christian dialogue, Chinese religions.” More details here.
  • Fields descried as “Medieval, late imperial and modern Chinese history, Chinese historical philology, intellectual history (from Song to Qing), Confucian classics studies, and history of Academies.” More details here.

Question about family and society in the Chinese philosophical tradition

Here are three different ideas:

  1. Having the right attitudes in my family relationships tends to give me the right attitudes in my political relationships.
  2. Where right family attitudes prevail in society, the right political attitudes tend also to prevail.
  3. Differences in family culture from region to region, or from time to time, tend to be accompanied by analogous differences in political culture.

Idea #2 is very abstract, and can be understood simply in terms of order versus disorder, or natural respect versus the lack of it.  Idea #3 contemplates a variety of kinds of stable order, and perhaps a variety of forms of government.

Where might idea #3 appear in the Chinese tradition?

Li Maosen Lecture in Leipzig

Public Lecture: The Logic in Confucian Virtues

Prof. Li Maosen 李茂森 (Renmin University of China)

Place: Confucius Institute Leipzig, Otto-Schill.Str.1, 04109 Leipzig

Time: Monday, 8 January 2018, 6 pm

It is believed in the Confucian moral ideas that human needs should be properly satisfied in order to foster the growth and development of the individuals as well as the society. Continue reading →

Van Norden on the Confucian Roots of Xi Jinping’s Thought

A couple weeks ago, Bryan Van Norden published “The Confucian roots of Xi Jinping’s policies” in The Straits Times (Singapore); a Chinese translation was also subsequently published. The essay begins:

Commentators have been quick to observe that the recent Chinese Communist Party Congress guaranteed President Xi Jinping’s firm grip on power for years to come. However, few have noted the Confucian roots of Mr Xi’s world view.

Mr Xi himself has been very candid about his admiration for traditional Chinese thought and his view that Chinese socialism is consistent with it. As I point out in my recent book, Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto, Mr Xi’s appropriations of traditional Chinese thought are sometimes opportunistic. But the same can be said of the way many US politicians appeal to the Bible. In addition, there are at least four points on which Mr Xi is genuinely Confucian in spirit.