Dear Colleagues:
Please find in the attachment the preliminary announcement of the 18th International Conference of the ISCP. For some reason, the construction of the conference web has been delayed, so I am sending you this in order to help you to plan your schedule next July. The theme of the conference is broadly conceived, and the Organizing Committee welcomes your participation. Buffalo’s July is comfortable and beautiful. The conference site which is adjacent to SUNY Buffalo north Campus is only about 20 minutes driving to Niagara Falls.
Look forward to seeing you in Buffalo,
Jiyuan Yu President, ISCP Professor of Philosophy, SUNY Buffalo18th International Conference of International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP)
*_Chinese Philosophy and the Way of Living_*
State University of New York at Buffalo, July 20-24, 2013
One major characteristic of Chinese philosophical tradition is that it is not just a matter of theoretical pursuit, but is more a practical enterprise. Philosophy is thought to be a “Learning of Living”, and doing philosophy is to practice a way of life that one chooses and to cultivate and transform character.The central question of Chinese philosophy is “what is the /Dao/?” and /dao/(literally, road or way) is the way in which human beings should lead their lives.This conception of philosophy differs from the prevailing modern university conception of philosophy, according to which philosophy is mainly a theoretical discipline and philosophical reflection is peripheral to life.
The conception of philosophy is worth studying, keeping alive, and reviving as an alternative way of doing philosophy. It is similar to the idea that philosophy is the “art of living,” which was prominent in ancient Greek/Roman philosophy, especially in the spirit of Socrates. His motto that “the unexamined life is not worth living” clearly shows that what is examined is “life” rather than “knowledge” or “proposition.” In the West this conception has been marginalized in modern times, but seems to have experienced a sort of renaissance, as can be seen in the works of (to name only a few) P. Hadot, A. Nehamas, M. Nussbaum, and others.
The Buffalo conference is to explore in details and in depth Chinese conception of philosophy as a learning of living. It seeks not only to deepen our understanding of the nature of Chinese philosophy, but also, through a cross-cultural comparative approach, to enrich the conception of philosophy as a way of living and contribute its revival in contemporary philosophy.
Sub-themes of the conference include but are not limited to:
- Chinese philosophy as a learning of living
- The Art of Living: East and West
- The Art of living: ancient and modern
- Philosophical discourses and philosophical practicality
- Justifying a way of living: metaphysics, aesthetics, and rhetoric
- Practical wisdom
- Moral psychology
- Formation of self, character, and virtue
- Happiness, death and suicide
- Politics and the way of living
- Philosophical therapy and spiritual practice
- Methodology of comparative study
Conference size, format and timeline
The conference is scheduled to take place in July 20-24, 2013, with participants arriving on July 20th , and departing on July 24. Registration will start in the afternoon of July 20th , 2013.
Estimated speakers: around 120.
Deadline for submission of the abstracts and symposium proposals:
November 15th, 2012.
Communication of acceptance: January 10, 2012
Deadline for submission of full paper, May 1st , 2013
All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee. Accepted papers will have a clear focus on theoretical and practical issues in relation to the theme of the conference. Full papers will be made available on the conference website. The organizers intend to publish a volume that includes selected and revised conference papers.
Organizing Committee:
Jiyuan Yu (University at Buffalo, Committee Chair)
Vincent Shen (University of Toronto), Kwon-loi Shun (Chinese Universityof Hong Kong), Jorge J. E. Gracia (University at Buffalo), David Hershenov (University at Buffalo), Jie Zhang (Buffalo State), Xiaomei Yang (Central Connecticut, ISCP Secretary), Ann A.Pang-White (University of Scranton, ISCP Treasurer).
For inquiries, please send your email to buffaloiscpconference@yahoo.com
For logistic details, please see www.iscp.philosophy.buffalo.edu (under construction, available in August, 2012)
There will be a modest registration fee, depending on how much money the conference can raise. It is most likely around $160 US for ISCP members, and that covers conference materials, breakfasts, lunches, morning and afternoon coffees/teas, welcome dinner on July 20^th , bus transportation to Niagara Falls on July 21 evening, and a BBQ dinner party on July 22^nd .
The conference site will be in the Ramada Hotel which is adjacent o UB North Campus. I have reversed 80 rooms with an incredible $79 per night rate for the conference participants, but you must book by March 2013. A hotel shuttle is available to pick you up at Buffalo/Niagara International Airport if you contact the hotel beforehand.
