Category Archives: Philosophy in China

CFP: Virtue and Luck: Virtue Theory and Chinese Philosophy

CALL FOR PAPERS

Virtue and Luck: Virtue Theory and Chinese Philosophy

International Conference and Book Symposium

Hosted by the Department of Philosophy, Soochow University, Taiwan

Co-hosted by the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, Academia Sinica, and the Department of Philosophy, Huafan University.

June 02 ~ June 04, 2011, Taipei, Taiwan

Summary: Our three-day program includes the following three events: (a) a series of Philosophical Dialogues; (b) a Book Symposium; and (c) the one-day International Conference “Virtue and Luck: Virtue Theory and Chinese Philosophy”. Continue reading →

Confucians React to Planned Christian Church in Qufu

An open letter, signed by several prominent Chinese scholars and endorsed by numerous Confucian organizations, has been released criticizing the plans to build a large Christian church in Qufu, about 3 km from the Qufu Confucian Temple. The letter begins:

We have recently heard that a large, Gothic-style Christian church, more than 40 meters high and capable of holding more than 3000 people, is under construction in the vicinity of Qufu’s Confucian Temple. We Confucian scholars, organizations, and websites are deeply shocked and worried, and call upon all concerned parties to respect this sacred ground of Chinese culture and halt construction of this Christian church….

I paste the entire letter, including the list of signatories (many of whom have been prominently identified with “Confucian teaching” or “Confucian religion” [rujiao 儒教]), below.  Continue reading →

Lilla in TNR on Strauss and Schmitt in China

Shaojin Chai draws our attention to a recent and intriguing essay by Mark Lilla in The New Republic, entitled “Reading Strauss in Beijing: China’s Strange Taste in Western Philosophers.” Shaojin expresses some skepticism about a connection between the interest in Schmidt and “China’s imperialistic ambition or statist future”; but I found this bit of Lilla’s piece to ring true: Continue reading →

Virtual Kagan in China

A Yale website is reporting that Shelly Kagan, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, is “the most popular foreign teacher” in China. Kagan’s online Open Yale course, “Death,” is apparently a great success. Quoting from the article:

“China National Radio in September noted: ‘Kagan lectures the students while sitting on the podium with legs crossed and wearing jeans and sneakers. His image, resembling that of an ‘immortal’ in Chinese mythology, has made him a ‘star’ closely followed by the youth in China. Ever since Kagan’s philosophy class ‘Death’ appeared on the internet through Open Yale Courses, many young people in China scramble for the lectures given by this unconventional professor who could have been considered ‘out of line’ according to the traditional Chinese standard of teaching style and manner.'”

Hat tip to Brian Leiter’s blog, where I first saw this.

Nishan Forum and Rise of Chinese Culture

Last week I attended the first Nishan Forum on World Civilizations (尼山论坛). Nishan is the reputed birthplace of Confucius, near Qufu (in Shandong province) where the Kong family has lived for many generations. The Forum was an interesting event, heavily supported by various levels of government (notice the orchestra, playing pieces specially written for the event), and clearly designed to contribute to the increasing visibility of Confucianism, both domestically and internationally. There is a lot one could say about the event, both in terms of its content and in terms of the way it was framed (e.g., why was Robert Schuller chosen as the most prominent representative of Christianity at this “dialogue between Confucianism and Christianity”?). There is no simple conclusion, positive or negative, that one can draw from a complex event such as this, but I thought I would share some concerns that crystallized in my mind when thinking about a question that a journalist at the Forum asked me. He said, “Do you think Americans should be worried about the rise of Chinese culture?” Continue reading →

Harvard-Yenching Announces Visiting Philosophers

The Harvard-Yenching Institute has announced its 2010-2011 Visiting Scholars and Visiting Fellows, and included among them are three philosophers who will spend the year in Cambridge:

  • GU Hongliang, East China Normal University (20th century Chinese philosophy)
  • QU Hongmei, Jilin University (Kant and cosmopolitainism)
  • CAO Qingyun, Ph.D. candidate, Peking University (Aristotle)

They will arrive later this month and can be contacted via the Institute.