Author Archives: Steve Angle

New Book: Beaney, The Joy of Chinese Philosophy

Michael Beaney has just published The Joy of Chinese Philosophy (De Gruyter, 2026); see here for full-text access. The publisher’s blurb:

This book introduces some central ideas and themes in ancient Chinese philosophy through a detailed analysis of one famous passage – the happy fish dialogue – in the Zhuangzi, one of the two founding texts of Daoism. The Zhuangzi is the most exhilarating and intellectually challenging of all the texts of ancient Chinese literature, and appreciating its spirit is as important as understanding its ideas. Methodologically, this book shows how we can approach Chinese philosophy analytically, an approach that is needed if Chinese philosophy is to be recognized in Western (analytic) philosophy today. At the same time, it seeks to broaden our conceptions and practices of analysis and our methods and styles of philosophizing in learning from Chinese philosophy. Throughout the book the emphasis is on engaging the reader in thinking through the issues for themselves.

Chinese Philosophy-relevant panels at 2025 AAR

Michael Ing assembled the following list of panels at the annual American Academy of Religion (AAR) meeting, currently underway…

Here are panels of interest at the AAR this weekend. The entire program can be found here: https://papers.aarweb.org/program-book/30613. Looking forward to seeing you.

Sunday, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Sheraton, Boston Common (Fifth Floor)
Session ID: A23-109
Hosted by: Confucian Traditions Unit
Theme: Beyond Boundaries: Confucianism and The Evolution of Chinese Utopian Thought

The concept of utopia has long captivated thinkers across cultures, including in China, where diverse utopian visions emerged within Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist traditions. Scholars often argue that while Confucian utopias emphasized hierarchy and morality, Daoist models championed harmony with nature, whereas Legalist visions sought strict governance. However, rigid classifications overlook the fluidity of Chinese utopian thought, as thinkers often blended elements from different traditions. This panel challenges traditional paradigms by exploring varied Chinese utopian visions. The first paper critiques the Legalist utopia of Shang Yang and Han Feizi, highlighting its dystopian consequences. The second examines the utopian poetry of Tao Yuanming, revealing its Confucian influences. The third analyzes contemporary Confucian philosopher Zhang Xianglong’s proposal for Special Districts for Confucian Culture, showing its fusion of Confucian, Daoist, and Western ideas. Together, these studies demonstrate the adaptability of Chinese utopian thought, transcending rigid intellectual boundaries to shape evolving ideals of society.

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One-Semester Position at Wesleyan

The College of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University invites applications for a Visiting Professor or Visiting Instructor in Pre-Modern Chinese Philosophy and Culture, to begin in January 2026. Term of appointment is one semester. The successful candidate will teach three courses, with no advising or service expectations. One course will be Classical Chinese Philosophy; the other two courses can be in philosophy or other humanistic disciplines so long as the focus is on pre-twentieth century China. Review of applications will begin on October 17th and will continue until the position has been filled

For more information and to apply, please see here.

CFP: Franciscan and Neo-Confucian philosophy

Lance Gracy is seeking abstracts for an upcoming edited volume on Franciscan and Neo-Confucian philosophy. The contributed works would assess anew the “metaxological space” of Franciscan and Neo-Confucian philosophy with the aim of conveying the mutual flowering and divergence between the two traditions. With  renewed interest in comparative philosophy, the objective of the upcoming edited volume is to intellectually undertake the challenge of discovering indelible species in a “land”—still somewhat obscured—nestled between two expansive world traditions, so to better situate them within contemporary context. While most adjacent scholarship addressing the dynamism of the two traditions is historical or piece-meal, sustained philosophical analysis of the space between them remains an alluring frontier with signs of both difficulty and promise.

For more information, see here; the deadline is October 3.

Angle Reviews Li, Reshaping Confucianism

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Chenyang Li, Reshaping Confucianism: Philosophical Explorations, Oxford University Press, 2023, 344pp., $36.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780197657638.

Reviewed by Stephan C. Angle, Wesleyan University

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Chenyang Li has become one of the world’s leading interpreters of Confucian philosophy. From the beginning, he has been interested in both historical interpretation and more contemporary questions about comparison across traditions and philosophical development. Reshaping Confucianism is the culmination of Li’s work so far, bringing together and further refining a range of his groundbreaking arguments on issues including harmony, care, ritual, gender, freedom, and equality, as well as on newer topics like friendship, longevity, and civic education. The book is both an ideal overview of Li’s wide-ranging views and, taken as…

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Controversy Surrounding Tu Wei-ming’s Remarks at HK Philosophy Forum

Earlier in August, an event called the “2025 香港哲學紫剂國際論壇 / 2025 Hong Kong Bauhinia International Philosophy Forum” was held in Hong Kong. Prof. Tu Wei-ming delivered a keynote address (on-line). Since then, there has been considerable controversy about the event — which did not prominently feature any Hong Kong-born philosophers — and about Tu’s remarks, which were broadly apolitical. In particular, this critical essay by Cheung Chan Fai 張燦輝, former chair of the CUHK Philosophy Department, and Lee Shui-Chuen 李瑞全 of National Central University’s Philosophy Department (and an important contemporary Confucian voice) has received a great deal of attention.

Launch of the Chinese-Greek Philosophy Forum & Inaugural Lecture

A message from the following new forum’s coordinators, Dimitra Amarantidou & Anna Irene Baka:

We are very excited to announce the launch of Geju yu Dongjian 格局与洞见: The Chinese-Greek Philosophy Forum.

Our forum is an open space for teachers and students of Chinese and Greek philosophies to debate ideas, compare methods, and exchange insights, while we also  welcome interdisciplinary perspectives.

You are warmly invited to our inaugural event (on zoom):

Speaker: Professor Robin R. Wang 王蓉蓉 (Loyola Marymount University)
Lecture Title: “On Subtle Proximity: The Greek Paradox of Sorites and the Chinese Maxim of Qiqi 欹器”
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM Beijing Time

All our events are free and open to students and scholars with an interest in Chinese and Greek philosophies.

For more information, you can visit our website: chinesegreekforum.com

You can also contact us at: chinesegreekforum@gmail.com

See you there!

2025-26 Columbia Neo-Confucianism Seminar Schedule

In the 2025-26 academic year, the Neo-Confucian Studies Seminar will continue to meet in person at the Heyman Center on Columbia campus, normally 3:30-5:30pm on a Friday.
This year they will host six speakers:
10/10 Justin Tiwald (University of Hong Kong)
11/7 Taisu Zhang (Yale Law School)
12/5 Geoffrey Redmond (Independent scholar)
3/6 Dandan Chen (Farmingdale State College)
4/3 John Lombardini (College of William and Mary
5/1 PJ Ivanhoe (Georgetown University)
For more information, please contact the Seminar’s rapporteur, Ivy Chen <lc3131@columbia.edu>.