Category Archives: Education Models

Is Analects 1.2 about family?

Here are some reasons to think that Youzi did not regard family as the root of humanity or of the Way.  (I used to think he did.)

Most of my argument focuses on defending a view held by Soothill, Leys, Chin, and maybe Lau and Slingerland: that by 弟 in Analects 1.2, Youzi meant elder-respect, a virtue commonly associated specifically with life outside the family.  It would follow that according to 1.2, only one of the two parts of the root of humanity is specifically a family virtue.  If 孝 and 弟 have something relevantly in common for Youzi, family isn’t it.

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CFP: Confucianism and Education

You are cordially invited to submit a proposal to:

Confucianism and Education: An International Symposium

University at Buffalo, October 17-9, 2014; Proposal Submission Deadline: June 15, 2014

For details, please visit Conference Website: http://gse.buffalo.edu/confucius.
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Garfield, Cook join Yale-NUS Faculty

When Yale-NUS College in Singapore opens its doors this fall, it will have one of the strongest comparative philosophy faculties and curriculums in the world, despite its tiny size (initial class of 150, growing to a four-class total of 1000 students). Its common curriculum features a year-long course in Philosophy and Political Theory that has been designed from the ground up to introduce students to multiple philosophical traditions, and it has recently been announced that in addition to the outstanding young philosophers they have already hired (some of whom have substantial comparative interests), Jay Garfield and Scott Cook have signed on as well. Exciting times!

What Would a Confucian University in the US Look Like?

The rather surprising question in my title is inspired by three things. Most immediately, I have just returned from the AAS Conference in San Diego, where I participated in a panel on Elite and Popular Confucianism, presenting a paper called “American Confucianism: Between Tradition and Universal Values.” Second, I have heard some talk about the establishment within one or more Chinese universities of explicitly Confucian-themed academic units. Finally, I recently became aware of Soka University, a liberal arts college in Southern California that was founded by the Soka Gakkai Buddhist organization from Japan.

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NYT Columnist Brooks on Chinese Education

This was kind of a fun read. (Read the rest at the New York Times website, here.) Any thoughts?

THE LEARNING VIRTUES

Jin Li grew up in China during the Cultural Revolution. When the madness was over, the Chinese awoke to discover that far from overleaping the West, they were “economically destitute and culturally barren.” This inspired an arduous catch-up campaign. Students were recruited to learn what the West had to offer.

Li was one of the students. In university, she abandoned Confucian values, which were then blamed for Chinese backwardness, and embraced German culture. In her book, “Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West,” she writes that Chinese students at that time were aflame — excited by the sudden openness and the desire to catch up.

Li wound up marrying an American, moved to the States and became a teacher. She was stunned. American high school students had great facilities but didn’t seem much interested in learning. They giggled in class and goofed around. Continue reading →