In this episode, we are joined by Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Eliaser Chair of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading scholar of early Chinese thought. Our conversation draws on his new book, Confucius: A New Tradition (Reaktion Books, 2026), and its striking portrayal of Confucius as a “ritual prodigy.” Through several passages from Book 10 of the Analects, we explore what ritual expertise involves, whether moral and practical wisdom can be innate, and how seemingly minor details of dress and conduct express or instantiate important social and ethical values. We also discuss Confucius’s participation in an exorcism ritual, changing interpretations of ghosts and spirits, and the famous story of Confucius’s reaction to the burning of his horse stables. Along the way, we consider how successive biographies and commentaries have continually reconstructed Confucius to address new philosophical and historical concerns. Continue reading →
Category Archives: History of Philosophy
Roman Stoicism
New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
Plato
New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
Athens and the Polis
New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
Family as Topic, Root, and Model in the West
Here is the beginning of a planned series of sketches on family as topic, root, and model (inspiration for other order) in Western philosophy and culture. I expect to post a new installment every two or three weeks. Papers are linked at their titles.
Brook Ziporyn’s talk on Tiantai Buddhism at Rutgers on Thursday, Oct. 23 (updated: hybrid format)
Brook Ziporyn (University of Chicago), will give a talk, “Everything Everywhere All at Once: The Buddha-Nature According to Tiantai and What To Do About It, If Anything,” at Rutgers New Brunswick campus on Thursday, October 23, 2025, 4-5:30pm. Here’s the link to the talk:
The talk is also available on Zoom. Check the website for the registration link. Please drop me a note if you are coming in person. Thanks.
New Book: Rogacz, Chinese Philosophy of History
Bloomsbury has published Chinese Philosophy of History: From Ancient Confucianism to the End of the Eighteenth Century, by Dawid Rogacz; see here for more details. Congratulations, Dawid!
New Book: History of Chinese Philosophy Through Its Key Terms
An English translation of History of Chinese Philosophy Through Its Key Terms has been published by Nanjing University Press and Springer! Click here for more information about the book. Below is a brief description of the book from the words of the book’s translator, Shuchen Xiang:
Postdocs on “new narratives” in history of philosophy
The “Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy” project has announced two postdoc opportunities for scholars interested in working on neglected philosophers — including neglected Asian philosophers (male or female). The historical period of the grant is currently focused on is 1400-1940. Please see here for more information.
New book: Mastery, Dependence, and the Ethics of Authority, by Aaron Stalnaker
Oxford University Press has just published my new book on early Confucian social thought, and what contemporary people might learn from it: Mastery, Dependence, and the Ethics of Authority. The publisher’s page is here. At present the cheapest way to purchase it is directly from Oxford, with a discount code for 30% off (AAFLYG6).
This comes with hearty thanks to Steve Angle and Bryan Van Norden, who were belatedly revealed as the press’s referees.
