Category Archives: Chinese philosophy – 中國哲學 – 中国哲学

New Book: Marchal and Wang, eds., Subjectivity and Selfhood in Chinese Philosophy

The inaugural volume of Amsterdam University Press’s “East Asian Philosophy and Political Thought” series has just been published: Subjectivity and Selfhood in Chinese Philosophy: Phenomenological, Comparative and Historical Perspectives, eds. Kai Marchal and Ellie Hua Wang. Please click the link here for more information.

The series is generally interested in any work in East Asian philosophy, but also aims to promote East Asian political thought and political philosophy. Those working on a book project, including an edited volume, that engages with East Asian thought and philosophy broadly defined are welcomed to submit to the series through this link.

Episode 19 of “This Is the Way”: Zhu Xi on the Unity of the Virtues

This episode is really about two things. First, it’s about the claim that many instantiations of one virtue necessarily come packaged with other virtues. For example, you can’t have great humaneness or benevolence in your charitable giving to other people unless you also show a certain amount of ritual respect to them. Second, it’s about the view that one virtue in particular — the virtue of humaneness or good caring (ren 仁) — is more central or fundamental than the others.  The Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) proposes that we can understand both the unity of virtues and the central importance of humaneness (ren) by thinking about the unity of the seasons and the central importance of the spring for the other seasons. We attempt to unpack these ideas (and some of the relevant seasonal associations) as they are presented by one of the Confucian tradition’s most subtle and complicated philosophers. Continue reading →

7th Rutgers Workshop on Chinese Philosophy: An International Conference on “Moral Conflict in Early Chinese Philosophy”

The 7th Rutgers Workshop on Chinese Philosophy (RWCP) will take place in person in New Brunswick, NJ, on April 10-11, 2025. This year’s workshop will be a two-day international conference, with the theme “Moral Conflict in Early Chinese Philosophy.” Scholars of early Chinese philosophy from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America will engage each other and the audience on this important topic. Everybody is welcome. Space is limited and registration is required. Here’s the link for more details: https://rccs.rutgers.edu/component/jevents/icalrepeat.detail/2025/04/10/2446/54/seventh-rutgers-workshop-on-chinese-philosophy?Itemid=147

Lecture: Ziporyn, Unknow Thyself

The College of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University is hosting a lecture by Brook Ziporyn of the University of Chicago, titled “Unknow Thyself: Agnosis as Superpower in the Zhuangzi,” on Thursday April 3rd, at 4:30pm in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies Seminar Room (343 Washington Terrace, Middletown CT). Ziporyn will explore non-knowledge’s ability to enhance self and social reform. All are welcome!

ToC: Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture 43

Volume 43 (February 2025) of The Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture is published. This issue features the special topic, “Comparative Perspectives on the Future of Cosmopolitanism (II),” guest edited by Philip J. Ivanhoe. Continuing from Vol. 42, this collection, supported by the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, expands the discourse with six additional articles. A general response by Owen Flanagan offers reflections on the discussions presented across both volumes.

Additionally, this issue includes a special section, Scholar’s Corner, featuring an article on Confucian responses to same-sex marriage. It also presents a book review of Emotions in Korean Philosophy and Religion: Confucian, Comparative, and Contemporary Perspectives by Lu-Vada Dunford. The full volume is available at https://jcpc.skku.edu/.

Book discussion of Professor Jin Li’s The Self in the West and East Asia

On March 27th at 20:00 Beijing time the 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host a book discussion of Professor Jin Li’s The Self in the West and East Asia: Being or Becoming.
For details and the Zoom link please see our event page: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/li-jin-book-discussion
(Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required.)
For a list of upcoming events see our calendar here. Please feel free to advertise this or share it with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone.

Hybrid Workshop on Interpersonal Harmony

A workshop, “Interpersonal Harmony in Comparative Philosophy,” is scheduled for April 10–11, 2025, and will be held in person at Duke University, with a virtual attendance option available.

The event will bring together scholars specializing in early Chinese and Greek thought to explore various aspects of interpersonal harmony, including its ethical, political, and metaphysical dimensions. The event will feature contributions from prominent scholars such as Agnes Callard, Chenyang Li, C.D.C. Reeve, and David Wong.

Full details and registration information are available on the following event website: Comparative Philosophy Workshop – April 2025.

Episode 18 of “This Is the Way”: Neo-Confucian Metaphysics

Much of the technical philosophy of Confucianism was developed by sophisticated thinkers that came well after the time of Confucius, starting in the Song dynasty. This episode is our first devoted to the foremost of these “Neo-Confucians,” Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200 CE). To help us with this introduction, we are joined by special guest Stephen C. Angle, one of the leading scholars of Neo-Confucianism. Continue reading →