Episode 20 of “This Is the Way”: Confucianism vs. Buddhism (our first “live show”)

One influential justification for becoming Buddhist is to end suffering, starting (it seems) with the Buddhist practitioner’s own suffering. Does this indicate that Buddhist practitioners are selfish? After Buddhism became popular in China, many Confucians argued that Buddhism puts personal salvation before ethics, and is thus selfish in that respect. Some Confucians also objected to the particular sort of compassion that Buddhists were supposed to adopt (“unconditioned compassion”), insisting that it was fundamentally incompatible with the special attachments needed for important human relationships between family members and close friends.

In our first show before a live audience, Justin presents two criticisms of Buddhism, Jenny Hung 洪真如 defends Buddhism against the criticisms, and Richard moderates. The show was held at a meeting of the American Philosophical Association, and many wiser experts in the audience weighed in as well. Join us for the lively (and quite friendly) “debate.” Continue reading →

2025 Annual NAKPA (Korean Philosophy) Conference at George Mason University

The annual NAKPA conference will be held at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, June 26 & 27, 2025, for two full days under the auspices of Professor Young-chan Ro together with the Department of Religious Studies and Korean Studies center at GM. The host professor Ro will also gives a keynote address. Attached please find the conference program. Continue reading →

CFP: 2025 Online Symposium of the Network of Asian Environmental Philosophy

Environmental philosophy explores the ways we, humans, think about, value and relate to nature, other species, mountains and rivers, and so on. The limits of life often correspond to fascinating fringes in environmental philosophy, such as the blurry borders between life and non-life, which sometimes encompasses dimensions of regeneration, purification or cleansing, toxicity, and rebirth. Questioning these fringes, from voices from stones to conversations with rivers emerged as key themes from discussions during previous NAEP symposiums and NAEP reading group on animism. This NAEP symposium 2025 opens a space to further develop these exchanges with the theme of Life as Regeneration and Flourishing.

The NAEP 2025 Online Symposium welcomes contributions from scholars, practitioners and stakeholders on a broad range of aspects within Asian worldviews, including but not limited to:

  • Ecological trauma, healing, regeneration, place-making after environmental destruction
  • Philosophical dimensions of grassroots and justice initiatives on ecological remedies and restoration
  • Artistic expressions (narratives, artforms, storytelling, memory landscape…) related to life and expressions of life in Asian cultures
  • Spiritual & religious beliefs connected to life, regeneration, rebirth, purification, toxicity
  • Ecofeminism views on birth, parenthood, caring and rebirth in connection with nature
  • Grassroot perspectives and environmental practices related to life as regeneration
  • Ethical and educational dimensions of our relationship with life and the natural world
  • Early- and mid-career scholars are especially encouraged to send proposals.

Continue reading →

CFP: ISCP at the 2025 AAR Meeting

The ISCP plans to hold an invited Related Scholarly Organization (RSO) session at the 2025 meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), to take place Nov 22-25 in Boston, MA. Submission of abstracts (250-300 words) for individual papers for consideration are welcomed. Presentation time will be limited to 20 minutes to allow for discussion. All themes related to Chinese philosophy are welcome. However, accepted abstracts that closely align with the AAR conference’s major themes, such as philosophy of religion, religious studies, theology, and spirituality, may attract a broader audience. Due to limited slots, ISCP members will be given priority consideration. Please read below for submission procedures. Continue reading →

CFP: 2025 Meeting of the Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought at Duke University

CFP: 2025 Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 meeting of the Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought (NECCT) will be held from November 14–15 at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This annual gathering offers scholars of Chinese thought an opportunity to share their work in a collaborative and intellectually vibrant environment.

The organizers of NECCT share a commitment to interdisciplinary dialogue. We invite scholars and graduate students working on Chinese thought from a variety of disciplines and methodologies, as well as comparative work on common themes in Chinese thought.

  • When: Friday, November 14 to Saturday, November 15, 2025
  • Where: Duke University, Smith Warehouse (Bay 4), Durham, NC
  • Format: Fifteen 30-minute slots, each consisting of a 20-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. Sessions will be grouped into thematic panels when possible.
  • Meals, Travel, and Accommodations: Morning coffee and pastries, lunch on Friday and Saturday, and a catered dinner on Friday will be provided. Presenters are expected to cover their own travel and lodging.
  • Submissions: Please submit one anonymized abstract (containing only paper title and abstract, not to exceed 300 words) and one cover page (containing title and contact information) by August 15, 2025, to necct2025@gmail.com. Please use the subject line “NECCT 2025 Submission.” Format as a Word document. The final schedule will be announced by September 13, 2025.
  • Panel Proposals: Proposals for panels (3 speakers) are also welcome. Please include an anonymized document containing the panel title and panel abstract, along with individual paper titles and abstracts.  In addition, please provide a cover page containing the panel title, names and contact information of all participants.

We are grateful for the support of Duke University’s Department of Philosophy, the Center for Comparative Philosophy, and the Harmony Lab.

Organizers: Wenjin Liu, David Wong, Emily Kluge
Please direct any questions to Emily Kluge at emily.kluge@duke.edu.

We look forward to your submissions and to welcoming you to Durham in the fall!

Workshop: Philosophy of the Daodejing in Chinese Scholarship

Editorial Planning Workshop: Philosophy of the Daodejing in Chinese Scholarship

Workshop Organisations: Department of Philosophy, Tsinghua University, and Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning

Workshop Organisers: Ai Yuan (Tsinghua University), Daniel Sarafinas (East China Normal University), Daniel Sarafinas (East China Normal University) and Xiao Ouyang (Beijing University)

Date: 29th May, 2025

Time: 10:00am to 5:00 pm

Location: Room 227, Humanities Building, Tsinghua University

About the Workshop：

Continue reading →

Fudan Chinese Philosophy Summer School 2025

Fudan Chinese Philosophy Summer School (August 08-17, 2025), “Early Chinese Philosophy in Comparative and Contemporary Perspectives”; all instructions in English. Here is the schedule:

  • Scheduled Courses & Modules （From AUG.8 – AUG.17 2025）
Date Courses & Modules Instructor(s)
AUG.8-AUG.9 1. Reading Chinese Ancient Classics in Comparative Perspective: Hermeneutic Principles

2. Numbers in Ancient Chinese Classics

 Benoît Vermander
AUG.8-AUG.9 1. Yiyong and the Chinese Metaphysical Tradition

2. The Classic of Filial Piety and the Philosophy of Family

 Xiangchen Sun
AUG.10-AUG.11 Confucius 1: Why You Should Not Turn the Other Cheek

Confucius 2: How Do You Love Virtue as You Love Sex

Confucius 3: Why a Filial Son Ought Not To Disclose His Father Stealing a Sheep

 Yong Huang
AUG.11-AUG.12 Emotion, Ethics, and Self-Cultivation in the Mengzi Franklin Perkins
AUG.12-AUG.14 1. Impartiality and Partiality in Early Chinese Philosophy

2. Metaethics in the Laozi

3. Personal Freedom in the Zhuangzi

 Tao Jiang
AUG.14-AUG.16 Han Fei Zi‘s Political Philosophy and Its Contemporary Relevance Tongdong Bai
AUG.15-AUG.16 Mohist Ethics, Religion and Political Order Ting-Mien Lee
AUG.17 1. The Image of the Sage in the Laozi

2. The Linguistic Strategies in Daoist Classics

 Qinghua Cai

 

See this link for details (but for the schedule, please see the above):

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5FxU5ltQYonC4KV5lOgW8g