The North American Korean Philosophy Association (NAKPA) is organizing two group sessions at the 2026 Eastern Division Meeting of APA (American Philosophical Association) in Baltimore, Maryland USA. The 2025 APA Eastern Division Meeting will be held in person at Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland from January 7 (Wed) –10 (Sat), 2026. For application, please see more information below. Continue reading →
Category Archives: Confucianism
Special Issue of the Taiwan Journal of East Asian Studies: Lapland Manifesto of Confucianism
The Taiwan Journal of East Asian Studies (臺灣東亞文明研究學刊) has published a special issue in June dedicated to the “Lapland Manifesto of Confucianism”. The Manifesto, launched at the inaugural conference of the Nordic Network on Chinese Thought (NNCT) in 2021, is a document that explores the enduring relevance and merits of the Confucian tradition for modern societies both in China and elsewhere, discussing questions related to, inter alia, democracy, individualism, and participatory citizenship. (The Manifesto in English and Chinese can be found at the University of Lapland website) The Manifesto was authored by Torbjörn Lodén (Professor Emeritus, University of Stockholm), Matti Nojonen (Professor, University of Lapland) and Jyrki Kallio (Title of Docent, University of Lapland).
Additionally, the special issue includes an introduction to the Manifesto as well as two dedicated feature articles and two feature comments. Please visit here to access the full issue.
A Speculation on the History of tì 弟/悌
At this link is a downloadable long paper defending a speculation on the history of tì 弟/悌.
Edward O. Shaughnessy has convinced me in personal communication that the part of this paper about the Odes is at least inadequately argued—or, as he would say, wrong. I have now posted an improved version of some of the rest of the paper (click here), focusing on xiàotì in the Analects and the Mencius. –BH, 5/25/2026
Episode 20 of “This Is the Way”: Confucianism vs. Buddhism (our first “live show”)
One influential justification for becoming Buddhist is to end suffering, starting (it seems) with the Buddhist practitioner’s own suffering. Does this indicate that Buddhist practitioners are selfish? After Buddhism became popular in China, many Confucians argued that Buddhism puts personal salvation before ethics, and is thus selfish in that respect. Some Confucians also objected to the particular sort of compassion that Buddhists were supposed to adopt (“unconditioned compassion”), insisting that it was fundamentally incompatible with the special attachments needed for important human relationships between family members and close friends.
In our first show before a live audience, Justin presents two criticisms of Buddhism, Jenny Hung 洪真如 defends Buddhism against the criticisms, and Richard moderates. The show was held at a meeting of the American Philosophical Association, and many wiser experts in the audience weighed in as well. Join us for the lively (and quite friendly) “debate.” Continue reading →
2025 Annual NAKPA (Korean Philosophy) Conference at George Mason University
The annual NAKPA conference will be held at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, June 26 & 27, 2025, for two full days under the auspices of Professor Young-chan Ro together with the Department of Religious Studies and Korean Studies center at GM. The host professor Ro will also gives a keynote address. Attached please find the conference program. Continue reading →
New Book: Berger, Introducing Chinese Philosophy
Douglas L. Berger, Introducing Chinese Philosophy: From the Warring States to the 21st Century has been recently published through Routledge. The book presents an introductory survey of the major themes, thinkers and texts, philosophical genres and profound insights of the Chinese philosophical tradition. Its coverage ranges from the foundational history of Chinese thought in the 6th–5th centuries BCE up to the present day.
To access the book for further reading, please visit this site.
ToC: Dao 24:2
Dao 24:1 has been published; see here and below for the Table of Contents. Continue reading →
ToC: Asian Studies 13:2
The newest issue of Asian Studies just recently came out through The University of Ljubljana. Please read more to find the table of contents. Additionally, you can also see the full issue through this link.
Workshop: Works of Philosophy and their Reception — Workshop on Xunzi
The on-line “Works of Philosophy and their Reception — Workshop on Xunzi” brings together some of the contributors to an edited volume in preparation for the Works of Philosophy and Their Reception series.
The dates of the workshop are 15 May, 16 May, and 23 May.
The schedule of the workshop and abstracts of presentations are available here. Please register here in advance to participate.
New Book: Tiwald, The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Philosophy
The Handbook of Chinese Philosophy has recently been released online by Oxford University Press, with paper copies set to release in August. The handbook collects new work on important texts and figures in the history of Chinese thought. The chapters cover both well-known texts such as the Analects and the Zhuangzi and many of the lesser-known thinkers in the classical and postclassical Chinese tradition. Most of the chapters focus on thinkers or texts in one of three important historical movements. These include classical (“pre-Qin”) Chinese philosophy, Chinese Buddhism, and the Confucian response to Buddhism (“neo-Confucianism” broadly construed). Each chapter presents cutting-edge work on important topics in the Chinese tradition and yet is written for a general philosophical audience. For more information, please see this site, and the Table of Contents follows.