Book Discussion this Friday: Tristan Brown’s Laws of the Land

The 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” Project will host a book discussion of Tristan Brown’s Laws of the Land this Friday, October 18th, at 9:00am Beijing time. Please find the details and the zoom link on the project’s page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/tristan-brown-discussion. No pre-registration or passcode is required.
For a list of upcoming events see 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” Project’s calendar here.

Schedule and RSVP: Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought Nov 2-3 at Baruch College, CUNY

The 2024 meeting of the Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought (NECCT) will be held on November 2-3 at Baruch College, City University of New York. This annual meeting is an opportunity for scholars of Chinese thought (broadly construed) from across the northeast US (also somewhat broadly construed) to gather and share their research in various stages of progress.

Here is a link to the conference schedule, which also includes a link to the abstracts for the scheduled talks.

This is an in-person event. We welcome participants to come and join the conversations. Please note that space is limited. If you plan on attending, please RSVP using this link as soon as possible, and no later than October 25th. Only those who RSVP will be allowed entry to the campus.

We are grateful for the generous financial support of CUNY Graduate Center and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College.

Please direct any questions about the conference to Hagop Sarkissian (hagop.sarkissian@baruch.cuny.edu) or Wenqing Zhao (zhaowenqing711@gmail.com).

NECCT Organizing Committee:
Stephen Angle (Wesleyan University)
Mick Hunter (Yale University)
Andrew Lambert (CUNY College of Staten Island)
Ellen Neskar (Sarah Lawrence College)
Thomas Radice (Southern Connecticut State University)
Hagop Sarkissian (CUNY Graduate Center/Baruch College CUNY)
Christopher Yang (Brown University)
Wenqing Zhao (Baruch College, CUNY)

Episode 11 of “This Is the Way”: Nonaction in the Daodejing

The concept of wuwei 無為/无为, often translated as nonaction or effortless action, is central to classical Chinese philosophy. But what exactly is the idea and what are its practical implications? What puzzles does it raise regarding the nature of human actions, purpose, and intention? We examine these questions by focusing on some central passages from the Daodejing.
 Continue reading →

CFP: ISCP at 2025 APA Central DIvision Meeting (Online)

The International Society for Chinese Philosophy invites submissions for the ISCP Group Panel at the 2025 APA-Central Division Meeting. The meeting will be entirely online. Sessions will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of two consecutive weeks: February 20–22 and February 27–March 1, 2025. Any submission relevant to Chinese philosophy is welcomed. Please send the following information along with your abstract in Word or PDF format to Jing Hu at jing.hu@concordia.ca by Oct. 1, 2024. Kindly title your email “2025 ISCP Central APA submission”.

1. Title of Paper
2. Name of Presenter
3. Presenter’s Affiliation and Contact Information
4. Paper Abstract (200-300 words, in attachment)

Please reach out to Jing Hu for for any inquiries.

Works In Progress Series

The 四海为学 “Collective Learning” program is delighted to announce the launch of their second season of the “Works in Progress” series. This series aims to provide an academic forum for graduate students and early career scholars engaged in Chinese or comparative philosophy to share and improve upon their projects with peers in conference-style panel presentations. Each session features a chairperson, 2-3 presenters, and an audience of participants who will provide constructive feedback on content, structure, or presentation style. It welcomes projects at any stage of development and aims to accommodate the intellectual needs of each presenter. Events will be held once a month. The first session for the Fall 2024 season is already planned for September 23 with three members presenting on their exciting new projects. Graduate students and early career scholars are welcomed to join or submit applications to present in the next October or November sessions.

Interested individuals can visit the website (General 2 — 四海为学 Collaborative Learning) or email WorksinProgressSHWX@hotmail.com for more information and an application form to present in a future session.

Episode 10 of “This Is the Way”: Moral Cultivation

How do we become good? What is the process by which we acquire the virtues? We examine these question by focusing on some key concepts in Mencius’s account of moral development such as reflection and extension. This discussion also centers on Mengzi 1A7 and the famous “king and the ox” passage that has been the subject of much conversation and debate. Continue reading →

四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” Roundtable on Learning and Education

This Friday, September 13th, at 19:00 Beijing time the 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” Project will host the first roundtable of 2024-2025 academic year. The title of this roundtable is “Reflecting on Learning and Education,” for details, including the Zoom, link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/learning-roundtable (Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required.)
For a list of upcoming events see the calendar here.

Fall 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” Free Seminars

This academic year the 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” project will be hosting 2-3 events each month. Please visit their event calendar for details.

The program is also hosting three seminars this fall, seminars are free courses that are open to anyone interested:

1. Dao and Logos: Reading the Laozi with/against Heraclitus
Led by: Dimitra Amarantidou (University of Macau) and Fabian Heubel (Academia Sinica) This course will meet on Mondays at 19:00 Beijing time. There will eight classes, starting in October 21 and ending December 9th.

2. Early Chinese Philosophy of Education
Led by: Geir Sigurðsson (University of Iceland) and Paul J. D’Ambrosio (East China Normal University)This class will meet on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm Beijing time, and starts September 24th

3. The Political Laozi
Led by: Paul J. D’Ambrosio (East China Normal University), Dimitra Amarantidou (University of Macau), and John Lombardini (College of William and Mary)This class will meet on Tuesdays at 7:45 pm Beijing time. It will begin on September 24th.

For more details and links to any of these seminars please visit: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/seminars