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

New book: Shizi: China’s First Syncretist

Shizi: China’s First Syncretist

July, 2012
Cloth, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-15906-7
$45.00 / £30.95
Columbia University Press

By blending multiple strands of thought into one ideology, Chinese Syncretists of the pre-imperial period created an essential guide to contemporary ideas about self, society, and government. Merging traditions such as Ruism, Mohism, Daoism, Legalism, and Yin-Yang naturalism into their work, Syncretists created an integrated intellectual approach that contrasts with other, more specific philosophies. Presenting the first full English translation of the earliest example of a Syncretist text, this volume introduces Western scholars to both the brilliance of the syncretic method and a critical work of Chinese leadership.

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AAR “Religions in Chinese and Indian Cultures” Group CFP: Emotions

Dear colleagues,

AAR CFP deadline (March 1) is fast approaching. Here is the CFP of our group:

“This Group wishes to explore the various representations of emotions
within the Chinese and Indian religious traditions — particularly
engaging textually with both Chinese and Indian materials. We
especially encourage presentations by a specialist in one tradition to
engage a text from the other tradition….

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Daoist Nazi Problem – a response

[Guest poster and friend of the blog, Mark Saltveit, posts an extended response to Donald Sturgeon’s “Daoist Nazi Problem” below.]

Can There Be a Nazi Dao?

By Mark Saltveit

Of all the religious philosophies, Daoism is the one most concerned with practical, daily life.  Seeking and practicing the pure, perfect way to do something is itself a spiritual practice, a small Dao that may lead you to the Big Dao.  That’s why there are so many books with titles like “The Tao of Tool Crafting” and “The Tao of Large Animal Husbandry.”

Last October, Donald Sturgeon wrote a piece on Warp Weft and Way that raises a fascinating question:  does every task, no matter how “wrong” or unDaoish, have its own Dao?  Specifically, can there be such a thing as “The Dao of Nazism”?

This is one of the few topics I have some actual academic knowledge about.  I studied the Nazis for a while as an undergraduate, in my multidisciplinary social science major at Harvard.  (After a year, it got too grim, and I changed my focus to a much cheerier topic – the Vietnam War.)

I think the short story is that, if you choose to pursue Nazism, there are some less effective and more effective ways to pursue it; the more effective ways might be considered a sort of Dao of Nazism. However, both the goals of Nazism and the techniques you would use to pursue it inevitably corrode your ability to act in Dao, so it would prove quickly self-defeating.  Continue reading →

Call for Papers: SACP at the Eastern APA, 2013

CALL FOR PAPER AND PANEL PROPOSALS

2013 Eastern Division Conference of the American Philosophical Association

December 27-30, 2013, Baltimore, MD – Marriott Waterfront

The Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy welcomes proposals for our panels at the American Philosophical Association’s Eastern Division meeting.  Please submit individual paper abstracts or complete panel proposals.

Paper abstracts should be 150-200 words in length.

Complete panel proposals should include: panel title, a 150 word introduction to the theme of the panel, and a 150 word abstract for each of the papers.

Include each presenter’s name, e-mail address, and institution.

Proposals regarding any aspect of Asian or comparative philosophy are welcome.

Please submit these materials no later than May 7 to Brian Bruya at bbruya@emich.edu.

Chinese Philosophy – Map of the Profession (Put yourself on the map–literally!)

Dear friends and colleagues,

Some time ago I began making a map of scholars working in Chinese philosophy in New England (i.e. Northeast US).  I then started fanning out to other sections of the U.S., and quickly realized that it would be much better to make this a collaborative effort.  So I would like to crowdsource this project, and have you all contribute to it!  Note: You will need a Google ID / Gmail account to edit the map.  Here is the link:

Chinese Philosophy – Map of the Profession

You can see the current list of scholars in the left hand pane.

We’d like to expand the map to include all academics (faculty and graduate students) as well as independent scholars, working anywhere on the planet.  Here are some instructions on how to add yourself–or someone you know in the field–to the map.  The process should take only a few minutes. Continue reading →

Announcing the Center for East Asian and Comparative Philosophy

P.J. Ivanhoe writes with the news that the new Center for East Asian and Comparative Philosophy (CEACOP) at the City University of Hong Kong is now officially open for business. He says: “We are just getting started, but you can find the start of our festivities at our web page: http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/sa/ceacop/.” Congratulations! For those who’d like to learn more about the Center, contact information is on the website.

 

Call for Papers: 9th Annual Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought (Submission Deadline Extended)

9th Annual Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought

University of Dayton/Wright State University

Dayton, OH

May 10-11, 2013

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: PENG GUOXIANG, PEKING UNIVERSITY

 

The Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought was created to foster dialogue and interaction between scholars and students working on Chinese thought across different disciplines and through a variety of approaches. Submissions are invited for papers on any aspect of Chinese thought, as well as papers dealing with comparative issues that engage Chinese perspectives. Possible themes for submissions include: examining how recovered texts reframe familiar issues and debates in early Chinese thought; texts, movements, and figures from neglected eras and traditions; the current renaissance of philosophy and religious studies in China.

 

This year’s MCCT will be held on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 at the University of Dayton and Wright State University, in Dayton, OH.

 

To facilitate blind review, please submit abstracts of 1-2 pages in length to Patricia Johnson at pjohnson2@udayton.edu by MARCH 15th.  For further inquiries about this year’s MCCT, contact Alexus McLeod at gmcleod1@udayton.edu or Judson Murray at judson.murray@wright.edu.

 

Call for Papers: SACP/ASACP Conference, National University of Singapore

Conflict and Harmony: From Embodied Emotions to Global Realms

2013 Joint Meeting of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (SACP) and the Australasian Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (ASACP)

July 8-11 2013

Hosted by the Philosophy Department at the National University of Singapore

Deadline for Abstracts and Proposals: March 15, 2013

 

The Joint Meeting of the SACP and the ASACP will be held at the National University of Singapore. The conference theme, “Conflict and Harmony: From Embodied Emotions to Global Realms,” is designed to invite scholars representing Asian traditions of thought to present their research on the many ways in which philosophers of these heritages thematize the dynamics of conflict and harmony.

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Chinese Religion, Philosophy and Culture Program at Renmin University

Chinese Religion, Philosophy and Culture Program (CRPCP)

Renmin University of China (RUC)

Starting from 2012, the Chinese Religion, Philosophy and Culture Program (CRPCP) offers overseas students, who are not proficient in Chinese language, the opportunity to study Chinese Religion, philosophy and culture while living in China. CRPCP attracts students from all over the world and hopes to create a unique multidisciplinary and multinational environment in which diverse backgrounds and experiences will enhance rigorous academic study.

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Teacher Training for Confucian Studies

The Nishan program for undergraduates has been announced here.  Below is an announcement for the program that is tailored to instructors.

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We are pleased to introduce the Third Annual Nishan Confucian Studies Summer Institute at theNishan Birthplace of the Sage Academy in Shandong, China, July 6 to August 3, 2013.

 

This month-long training program for teachers of Chinese culture will be led by professors Roger T. Ames (University of Hawaii), Sor-hoon Tan (National University of Singapore) and Tian Chenshan(Beijing Foreign Studies University), with a special series of lectures by Henry Rosemont, Jr.(Brown University), Zhang Xianglong (Beijing University), Hans-Georg Moeller (University College Cork), and Robin Wang (Loyola Marymount University).

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