It is indisputable that ritual is at the heart of Confucianism—buy why? In this episode we examine Analects 3.17 in which Confucius seems keen to defend a ritual sacrifice of a lamb which his student regards as excessive. We discuss this passage in light of Richard Wollheim’s paper, “The Sheep and the Ceremony” which offers a deep and illuminating exploration of this passage and the value of ritual more broadly. We examine questions about the possibility of seeing ritual as intrinsically valuable or constitutive of a good human life, and offer some suggestions about why the Confucians may have been right to place such significant weight on ritual practice. Continue reading →
New Book: Angle and Jin, eds., Progressive Confucianism and Its Critics
I am happy to announce the publication of a new book, Stephen C. Angle and Yutang Jin, eds., Progressive Confucianism and Its Critics: Dialogues from the Confucian Heartland (Routledge, 2025). More information on the book can be found here. This book is a translation into English of a series of dialogues that I held with Chinese Confucians in Beijing in the spring of 2017. The Introduction and part of the first dialogue are available at Amazon here, in case you’d like to learn more. Enjoy!
Chinese Philosophy MA Program at Beijing Normal University
The MA Chinese Philosophy program at Beijing Normal University (English taught) will be offered in the spring of 2025. The philosophy discipline at Beijing Normal University ranks among the top 3 in China, with the MA program gaining widespread recognition both domestically and internationally. A detailed overview of the program is provided in this attached brochure. The application deadline for admission is March 10th, 2025. Additional information and application guidelines can be accessed on the official BNU admission website.
Call for applications: Way and Being Seminar-workshop
Way and Being: Between Daoist and Pre-Socratic Approaches is a seminar-workshop designed for students engaged in or interested in research opportunities within Chinese and/or Greek philosophy. The program includes 90-minute presentations and discussions led by invited speakers on related topics. Additionally, students will have the chance to share and discuss their ideas with peers and speakers in 30-minute sessions. Students who are currently working on or planning to explore pre-Socratic philosophy and/or Daoist philosophy in their bachelor, master, or doctoral theses are particularly encouraged to apply.
CFP: Confucian Contemplation
ToC: Journal of Chinese Studies 79
The Institute of Chinese Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong has recently published volume 79 of the Journal of Chinese Studies. This issue spans 210 pages, including four academic articles and five book reviews. Digital copies of articles and book reviews are available for download at this website. Please read below to view the table of contents. Continue reading →
Episode 14 of “This Is the Way”: Women in the Analects
In the received version of the Analects, it’s quite apparent that all of Confucius’s disciples were men. So one might wonder: is this an ethics built just for men? Today we are happy to be joined by Professor Erin Cline, Tagliabue Professor at Georgetown University, to discuss this timely issue, focusing on a controversial passage that features the only woman cited by name in the Analects, Nanzi 南子. Professor Cline argues that the conventional reading of this passage is wrong and that a more plausible understanding of it is important for addressing common criticisms of patriarchy and sexism in the Analects. We also explore various pedagogical themes and strategies for teaching the Analects to students. Continue reading →
CFP: SACP Annual Conference
The 57th annual Conference of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy will be held at Leiden University from July 9-11, 2025.
We invite individual and panel proposals on any topic consistent with the SACP mission of advancing intercultural philosophy. The SACP board especially welcomes paper and panel submissions that reflect diverse Asian and comparative approaches to traditional philosophical concerns, as well as critical engagement with contemporary issues of global concern.
CFP: Upcoming Leadership and the Good Life Conference 2025
West Chester University’s “Life Worth Living” Leadership Hub, in collaboration with Yale’s Center for Faith and Culture, is now accepting proposals for the upcoming Leadership & The Good Life Conference in June 2025. Philosophers are invited to submit paper, presentation, and panel proposals that explore philosophical concepts of the “good life,” including ethical theory and applied ethical topics, as well as related pedagogy.
Submissions: abstracts (300-500 words) should be submitted via email to ZWOOTEN@wcupa.edu with the subject line: LWL PROPOSAL by March 15, 2025.
To learn more information of the program, visit the LWLLeadershipHub site or read this pdf.
Workshop: Chinese Philosophy and World Philosophy
Tsinghua University is hosting a teaching workshop on comparative philosophy on December 11th, 2024. Based on each researcher’s unique approach and character, the workshop will discuss whether and how educators can train students to form a knowledge community with a shared awareness of the field’s current state, methodologies, and relevant issues that transcend geographical and cultural boundaries. Additionally, the workshop also aims to explore how we can “attend to others” and collaborate more effectively.
Date: 11th December 2024
Time: 8:00-10:00 am (Beijing Time)
Language: English
Location: Room 227, Mengmin Wei Humanities Building
Voov meeting: 247-782-797 (no password)
Please find more information regarding the workshop in this pdf.
