Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events

Next week the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host three separate events:
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

Continue reading →

Call for Application: Peking University Berggruen Research Center Fellowship 2026-2027

The Berggruen Research Center at Peking University is now welcoming applications for the Berggruen Research Center Fellowship 2026-2027. Please read more for description of the position and visit the center’s website for full details of the application process. Continue reading →

CFP: Special Issue of The Journal of East Asian Philosophy, “Progressive East Asian Philosophy”

Following the International Society of East Asian Philosophy’s fifth conference, held on August 28–29, 2025 at National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taiwan, the ISEAP is welcoming submissions on the special issue of The Journal of East Asian Philosophy entitled “Progressive East Asian Philosophy.” Please read more for further information on the special issue and submission guidelines.

Continue reading →

Two Collaborative Learning (四海为学) Events This Week

Dear Colleagues,
Next week the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two separate events:
  1. March 19th at 9:00am Beijing time: Louise Edwards speaking on “Childhood and Infancy in China” with a focus on gender issues.
    For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/louise-edwards-lecture
  2. March 20th at 9:30am Beijing time: Peter Hershock speaking on “AI and Agency: A Buddhist Perspective”.
    For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/peter-hershock-lecture

Continue reading →

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 →

Barcelona Principles for a Globally Inclusive Philosophy

The Barcelona Principles for a Globally Inclusive Philosophy manifesto was published in 2021, aiming to address the structural inequality between native and non-native speakers in academic philosophy. A number of journals and societies, as well as many individuals, have signed the manifesto. I have only recently become aware of it, but suggest that members of our community should think seriously about committing to these principles as well. See also here for a FAQ that briefly discusses some of the issues that the Principles raise.