George Thompson is a popularizer of philosophical Daoism. In this conversation, we discuss the concept of ziran, the science of wisdom, and the intersection of philosophy and religion.
Category Archives: Zhuangzi
Symposium on Beaney, The Joy of Chinese Philosophy
A symposium on Michael Beaney’s book The Joy of Chinese Philosophy (see here) has been published in the British Journal for the History of Philosophy:
Fenrong Liu and Weijun Yu: https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2026.2671133
He Haoping: https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2026.2681888
Joachim Gentz: https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2026.2681887
Beaney’s response: https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2026.2680958
Episode 36 of “This Is the Way”: Zhuangzi’s Happy Fish Debate
In this episode, we take up one of the most puzzling and fascinating passages in the Zhuangzi: the “happy fish debate” between Zhuangzi and Huizi. Can Zhuangzi really know that the fish are happy if he is not a fish? Along the way, we explore skepticism, language, animal minds, and the ordinary but surprisingly sophisticated ways we recognize joy in other living things. Continue reading →
Two More Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Dear Colleagues,
The 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two events next week:
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On June 17th at 8:00am Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “The Zhuangzi and Post-Truth.“
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On June 18th at 8:00am Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “Paradox in the Zhuangzi.“
Please feel free to advertise these events or share them with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
Two Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Dear Colleagues,
The 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two events next week:
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On June 9th at 9:00am Beijing time Ellie Wang will give a lecture on “Rhythm, Alignment, and Collective Clarity:
from Affective Salience to Public Order in Xunzi.” -
On June 12th at 20:00 Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “The Radical Zhuangzi.”
Please feel free to advertise these events or share them with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
Upcoming Collaborative Learning event
Dear Colleagues,
On May 27th at 8:00am Beijing time, the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host a roundtable on “Politics and Government in the Zhuangzi.” For more information, and the Zoom link, click here.
Please feel free to advertise this event anywhere, or share it with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
Two Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Dear Colleagues,
Next week the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two roundtables:
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May 11th at 9:00am Beijing time: “Nothingness (無) in the Zhuangzi.”
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May 11th at 19:00 Beijing time: “Transformation and/in the Zhuangzi.”
Please feel free to advertise these events or share them with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
For a list of upcoming events see our calendar here.
Sincerely,
Paul J. D’Ambrosio
Upcoming Collaborative Learning Event
Dear Colleagues,
On May 6, at 9 a.m. (Beijing time), the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host a roundtable on: “(Me)Ontology and Metaphysics in the Zhuangzi.” Details, including the Zoom link, can be found here.
Please feel free to advertise this or share it with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
For a list of upcoming events see our calendar here.
Sincerely,
Paul J. D’Ambrosio
Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Next week the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host three separate events:
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April 6th at 9:00am Beijing time: Roundtable on “Zhuangzi: Fate, Desires, Transformation.”For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/zhuangzi-fate-desires-transformation
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April 6th at 19:00 Beijing time: Livia Kohn will speak on “Time in Daoist Culture.”For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/livia-kohn-lecture
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April 10th at 20:00 Beijing time: Mara Yue Du will speak on “Rethinking Late Qing and Republican Constitutionalism through Global History: Tradition and Modernity.”For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/mara-yue-du-lecture
Episode 32 of “This Is the Way”: Music Has in It neither Grief nor Joy
When you hear sad music and feel some sadness in response, is that because the music has successfully carried the sadness of the musician to you as the listener? Or is it better to say that the sadness is in you, released by the music but not “carried” by it? In this show (our second with a live audience), we discuss the music theory of the third-century philosopher Ji Kang 嵆康 (223–262 CE), who argued against the “carrier” view of music and for a more complicated and pluralistic account of the emotional contents of music. We also discuss Ji Kang’s interpretation of a famously evocative and mysterious passage in the Zhuangzi, regarding the “piping of Heaven.” To guide us in discussing these issues, we lean heavily on our guest, Meilin Chinn of Santa Clara University, a leading expert on the philosophy of music in China. Continue reading →
