Confucianism and Virtue Ethics Conference

A conference on Confucianism and Virtue Ethics will be taking place in a week in Beijing. Further information is available below. The conference is open to the public. Please contact me if you’d like more information.

International Conference on Confucianism and Virtue Ethics

Co-Organizers:

  • International Society for Comparative Studies of Chinese and Western Philosophy (ISCWP)
  • Institute for Foreign Philosophy, Peking University
  • Centre for Applied Ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University

Additional Sponsors:

  • Department of Philosophy, Peking University
  • Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies, Peking University
  • U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities
  • University of Miami
  • Wesleyan University

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

Day 1 (May 14)

Opening ceremony (8:00-8:30)

  • Xu Xiangdong; Angle, Stephen; Lo Ping-cheung; Wang Bo

Keynote 1 (8:30-9:30)

  • Chair: Xu Xiangdong
  • Yang Guorong 杨国荣 — 伦理学中的德性——以儒学为视域 (“Virtue” in Morality: A Confucian Perspective)

Break

Panel 1  (9:45-11:45)

  • Chair: Bell, Daniel
  • Yu, Jiyuan — The Practicality of Ancient Virtue Ethics: Greece and China
  • Lo Ping-cheung — How Virtues Provide Action Guidance – Confucian Military Virtues At Work
  • Cokelet, Brad —Virtue’s Role in Moral Deliberation
  • Zhang, Ellen — Virtue Ethics via Narratives: Lienüzhuan and Confucian Moral Philosophy

Picture

Lunch

Keynote 2 (1:30-2:30)

  • Chair: Wang Bo
  • Slote, Michael — The Impossibility of Perfection

Break

Panel 2 (2:45-4:45)

  • Chair: Huang Yong
  • Gong Huanan 贡华南 — 何谓节制?——儒家的视角 (What is “Regulating (節制)”? A Confucian Perspective)
  • Angle, Stephen — Is Conscientiousness a Virtue? Confucian Answers
  • Rushing, Sara — What is Confucian Humility?
  • Zhang Lihua 张丽华 — 儒者的求仁之路 (The Road to Benevolence)

Banquet

Day 2 (May 15)

Keynote 3 (8:00-9:00)

  • Chair: Yu, Jiyuan
  • Ivanhoe, P. J. — Virtue Ethics and the Chinese Confucian Tradition

Panel 3 (9:00-10:30)

  • Chair: Tan, Sor-hoon
  • Van Norden, Bryan — Toward a Synthesis of Confucianism and Aristotelianism
  • Wong, Wai-ying 黃慧英 — 儒家倫理與德性倫理之再探 (Confucianism and Virtue Ethics Revisited)
  • Sim, May — Confucian Liberties

Break

Panel 4 (10:45-12:15)

  • Chair: Yang Guorong
  • Ames, Roger — Locating the Confucian Notion of Person within an Interpretive Context
  • Liu Liangjian 刘梁剑 — 性之成与善德伦理的存在论根据 (The Completion of Nature and the Ontological Basis for Virtue Ethics (善德))
  • Arjo, Denis — A Dilemma for Care Ethics and a Confucian Resolution

Lunch

Keynote 4 (1:45-2:45)

  • Chair: Angle, Stephen
  • Lee Ming-huei 李明輝 — 儒家、康德與德行倫理學 (Confucianism, Kant, and Virtue Ethics)

Break

Panel 5 (3:00-5:00)

  • Chair: Chen Lai
  • Huang, Yong — Cheng Brother’s “One Li of Differences” (Li Yi Fen Shu): Neo-Confucian Virtue Ethics between Generalism and Particularism
  • Huff, Benjamin — Happiness as the Target of Life in Aristotle and Wang Yangming
  • Marchal, Kai  — “The other’s material needs are my spiritual needs”: Zhu Xi on the Virtues of Justice
  • Li, Elizabeth  — The Virtue Ethics of Zhang Zai; or From Cosmological Qi to the Qi of Human Nature

Dinner

Day 3 (May 16)

Keynote 5 (8:00-9:00)

  • Chair: Ames, Roger
  • Chen Lai 陈来 — 德性伦理与儒家伦理 (Virtue Ethics and Confucian Ethics)

Panel 6 (9:00-10:30)

  • Chair: Lo, Ping-cheung
  • Xiao, Yang — The Art of Observing Water: The Structure of Mengzi’s Practical Philosophy
  • Wang Kai 王楷  — 荀子:早期儒学中的一个理性主义美德伦理学典范 (Xunzi: A Paradigm of Rationalist Virtue Ethics in Early Confucianism)
  • Walker, Matthew — Structured Inclusivism about Human Flourishing: A Mengzian Formulation

Break

Panel 7 (10:45-12:15)

  • Chair: Slote, Michael
  • Terjesen, Andrew  — Is “Empathy” the Single Thread Running Through Confucianism?
  • Tiwald, Justin — Dai Zhen on Sympathy, Moral Judgment, and Moral “Patterns” (li 理)
  • Hourdequin, Marion — The Limits of Empathy

Lunch

Panel 8 (1:45-3:15)

  • Chair: Van Norden, Bryan
  • Walsh, Sean — Varieties of Moral Luck in the Ethical and Political Philosophy of Confucius and Aristotle
  • Chan, Jonathan — Bernard Williams and Virtue Ethics – A Philosophical Reflection from the Confucian Perspective
  • Yang, Xiaomei — Partial love and impartial love

Break

Panel 9 (3:30-5:00)

  • Chair: Bai Tongdong
  • Zhu Cheng 朱承 — 儒家的“如何是好”  ——以孟子为中心的考察 (Confucianism on “How to be Good”: Mencian Reflections)
  • Curzer, Howard — Take Your Job and Shove It: Mencius on Resigning and the Doctrine of the Mean
  • Giebel, Heidi — Should I Cover for my Sheep-Stealing Son?

Wrap-Up and Closing (5:00-6:00)

  • Chair: Angle, Stephen
  • Yang, Guorong; Slote, Michael; Ivanhoe, P.J.; Lee, Ming-huei; Chen, Lai

8 replies on “Confucianism and Virtue Ethics Conference”

  1. Thanks for posting this, Steve. I wish i could attend this high-level and exciting conference.Unfortunately, my travel plan can’t change anymore.
    btw, will the conference paper be published or posted somewhere? I really want to read them. Maybe I should ask my friend to take notes for me.

    Shaojin

  2. Hi Steve,
    Fabian Heubel (who just happens to be in Beijing) asked me today about the location of our conference, so I just want to make sure:
    Is it right that the whole conference will take place at the 北京大学中关新园 Zhongguanyuan Global Village, PKU ?
    Or is there another conference venue?
    Thanks and see you next week!

  3. Kai (and others who are interested): let me confirm the location of the actual conference sessions, and get back to you. I’ll post the info here. Fabian is of course very welcome!

  4. The conference sessions will take place in the conference center attached to the 北京大学中关新园 Zhongguanyuan Global Village, PKU. Map and other information here.

  5. Thanks, Steve. I just managed to change my ticket date so that I will be in Beida to attend the conference.

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