In this episode, we are joined by Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Eliaser Chair of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading scholar of early Chinese thought. Our conversation draws on his new book, Confucius: A New Tradition (Reaktion Books, 2026), and its striking portrayal of Confucius as a “ritual prodigy.” Through several passages from Book 10 of the Analects, we explore what ritual expertise involves, whether moral and practical wisdom can be innate, and how seemingly minor details of dress and conduct express or instantiate important social and ethical values. We also discuss Confucius’s participation in an exorcism ritual, changing interpretations of ghosts and spirits, and the famous story of Confucius’s reaction to the burning of his horse stables. Along the way, we consider how successive biographies and commentaries have continually reconstructed Confucius to address new philosophical and historical concerns. Continue reading →
Professor Huang Yong (Fudan) @UNSW Sydney
Professor Huang Yong will be spending a few days at UNSW Sydney, Australia, in August, delivering a reading masterclass as well as a talk.
Details as follows:
1. READING MASTERCLASS
NB: Registration Required
Wednesday 12 August 2026
10:00am-4:00pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time; UTC/GMT +10:00)
A close reading and discussion of two texts from A Source Book of Chinese Philosophy (Wing-tsit Chan, Princeton University Press): [*contact the Organiser below for pdf’s]
- Chapter 8, “The Mystical Way of Chuang Tzu”
- Chapter 35, “Dynamic Idealism in Wang Yangming”
New Article: Angle, Confucian Nei-Wai Citizenship
I’m happy to announce that my essay “Confucian Nei-Wai Citizenship” has ben published open-access in the Journal of International Political Theory. Comments welcome!
Roman Stoicism
New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
CFP: 25th ISCP Conference
On behalf of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP) and the Department of Philosophy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), we are pleased to invite submissions for the 25th International Conference of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP), to be held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong on June 22-25, 2027.
CFP: 4th Carolina Conference on Chinese Thought
Call for Proposals: 4TH CAROLINA CONFERENCE ON CHINESE THOUGHT
Friday, April 2 – Saturday, April 3, 2027, CONVERSE UNIVERSITY, Spartanburg, SC
The Carolina Conference on Chinese Thought (CCCT) is a regionally-based site for exchange and connection among those interested in Chinese thought, broadly construed. We invite scholars and graduate students to discuss their work on Chinese thought, drawing from any disciplinary perspective. Presentations focusing on research, pedagogy, and other engagements with Chinese thought are welcome. Works-in-progress are especially encouraged, with the CCCT being a collegial atmosphere for collaboration. All things otherwise equal, proposals from scholars and graduate students based in the Carolinas and the U.S. Southeast region will be given preference for selection.
CFP: ISCP at APA Central
The ISCP is pleased to invite submissions for the ISCP Group Panel at the 2027 APA Central Division Meeting, which will be held at the Hilton Denver City Center in Denver, CO, on February 24–27, 2027.
PHP / RSS issues
Several readers have reached out to me to let me know that the line of text (“Warning: trim() expects at least 1 parameter…”) appearing at the top of the page is interfering with their usual RSS feed for the blog. I am sorry about that! I believe the reason it’s there is that the site’s background PHP needs to be upgraded, but every time I have tried that, even after turning all plugins off, the site reports a “fatal error” and won’t load at all.
I am sharing this because if there is anyone out there who appreciates this blog and has more technical expertise than me, maybe you can help! Please reach out to me directly (sangle -at- wesleyan.edu) if appropriate. Thanks!
Plato
New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
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 →
