The Carolina Conference on Chinese Thought (CCCT) is inviting scholars and graduate students to discuss their work on Chinese thought, drawing from any disciplinary perspective, at its 3rd conference, Friday, April 3 – Saturday, April 4, 2026. Presentations focusing on research, pedagogy, and other engagements with Chinese thought are welcome. Works- in-progress are especially encouraged, with the CCCT being a collegial atmosphere for collaboration. Proposals from scholars and graduate students based in the Carolinas and the U.S. Southeast region will be given preference for selection. Please see here for more details and submission guidelines.
Controversy Surrounding Tu Wei-ming’s Remarks at HK Philosophy Forum
Earlier in August, an event called the “2025 香港哲學紫剂國際論壇 / 2025 Hong Kong Bauhinia International Philosophy Forum” was held in Hong Kong. Prof. Tu Wei-ming delivered a keynote address (on-line). Since then, there has been considerable controversy about the event — which did not prominently feature any Hong Kong-born philosophers — and about Tu’s remarks, which were broadly apolitical. In particular, this critical essay by Cheung Chan Fai 張燦輝, former chair of the CUHK Philosophy Department, and Lee Shui-Chuen 李瑞全 of National Central University’s Philosophy Department (and an important contemporary Confucian voice) has received a great deal of attention.
Episode 24 of “This Is the Way”: Robber Zhi—Honor Among Thieves?
With a big assist from our guest, Stephen C. Walker, we discuss a highly unusual philosophical dialogue in classical Chinese literature, the “Robber Zhi Dialogue” (from the Miscellaneous Chapters of the Zhuangzi). This shocking story shows Confucius attempting to convince the story’s anti-hero (Robber Zhi) to give up his robber lifestyle. By the end of the story, Confucius emerges as the more naive and inauthentic of the two characters, and moral exemplars in general are called into question. Are purveyors of morality also robbers themselves?
Stephen C. Walker’s research page Continue reading →
Launch of the Chinese-Greek Philosophy Forum & Inaugural Lecture
A message from the following new forum’s coordinators, Dimitra Amarantidou & Anna Irene Baka:
We are very excited to announce the launch of Geju yu Dongjian 格局与洞见: The Chinese-Greek Philosophy Forum.
Our forum is an open space for teachers and students of Chinese and Greek philosophies to debate ideas, compare methods, and exchange insights, while we also welcome interdisciplinary perspectives.
You are warmly invited to our inaugural event (on zoom):
Speaker: Professor Robin R. Wang 王蓉蓉 (Loyola Marymount University)
Lecture Title: “On Subtle Proximity: The Greek Paradox of Sorites and the Chinese Maxim of Qiqi 欹器”
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM Beijing Time
All our events are free and open to students and scholars with an interest in Chinese and Greek philosophies.
For more information, you can visit our website: chinesegreekforum.com
You can also contact us at: chinesegreekforum@gmail.com
See you there!
New Article: Jin on Xu Fuguan
Jin Yutang (Politics and public Administration, HKU) has published a new article in The History of Political Thought titled “Confucian Virtue Politics in Modern Times: A Reappraisal of Xu Fuguan’s Confucian Democracy.” See here for abstract and other information.
2025-26 Columbia Neo-Confucianism Seminar Schedule
In the 2025-26 academic year, the Neo-Confucian Studies Seminar will continue to meet in person at the Heyman Center on Columbia campus, normally 3:30-5:30pm on a Friday.
This year they will host six speakers:
10/10 Justin Tiwald (University of Hong Kong)
11/7 Taisu Zhang (Yale Law School)
12/5 Geoffrey Redmond (Independent scholar)
3/6 Dandan Chen (Farmingdale State College)
4/3 John Lombardini (College of William and Mary
5/1 PJ Ivanhoe (Georgetown University)
For more information, please contact the Seminar’s rapporteur, Ivy Chen <lc3131@columbia.edu>.
CFP: JCPC Special Issue (Open Call)
The Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture (JCPC; peer-reviewed; Scopus & ESCI indexed) invites submissions for a Special Issue developed in partnership with the North American Korean Philosophy Association (NAKPA). Although curated with NAKPA, this is an open call: submissions are welcome from all scholars worldwide.
Planned publication: February 2026.
Theme: “Themes from Korean Politics Today: Philosophical and Religious Reflections” (broadly interpreted).
Roundtable on Radical Democracy in Chinese Thought at Univ. of Toronto
On September 5, there will be a “Roundtable on Radical Democracy in Chinese Thought” at the University of Toronto — details here, including free registration.
Caro on Modern Confucianism in the PRC
Carlo Caro has published a five-part exploration of Confucianism and the foundations of political legitimacy in The Diplomat.
Bureaucratized Confucianism: How Tradition Became a Tool of Control
Erasing Confucian Cosmology: How Harmony Lost Its Soul
Legal Minimalism – How Sentience Disappeared from Chinese Law
The Elimination of Remonstrance: From Confucian Conscience to Organizational Discipline
Systemic Suppression: The Silent Elimination of Alternative Confucianism
Series link: https://thediplomat.com/tag/simulated-sagehood/
Book Symposium on Xiang, Chinese Cosmopolitanism
A book symposium was recently published in the Journal of Social and Political Philosophy about Shuchen Xiang’s book Chinese Cosmopolitanism. It comprised comments by David C. Kang, Byung-ho Lee and Huaiyu Wang and a response from the author. The issue is here; direct links to the comments and response, as well as summaries of a couple of the comments, follow below.
