New post in the series “Family as Topic, Root and Model in the West: An Ephemeral Resource for Comparative Philosophy.” Continue reading →
Collaborative Learning (四海为学) In-Person Event in New York on June 29th
Dear Colleagues,
四海为学 is having its first in person event on June 29th from 2-6 p.m. at the Chinese Institute of America, 100 Washington Street, New York. After some opening remarks and speeches, we will host a roundtable.
Anyone who is interested in attending is cordially invited, please come at 2:00pm, or earlier if you are interested in this art exhibition (at the same location).
Pre-registration is not required, but it is appreciated, please email Paul J. D’Ambrosio (his email is: paul j dambrosio –at—Hotmail.com (no spaces, no dashes)
This is the schedule of our roundtable: Continue reading →
E. Bruce Brooks, 1936-2026
With a heavy heart I share the news of E. Bruce Brooks’s passing. Alvin Cohen shared the following short obituary:
Born in Akron, Ohio, June 23, 1936, son of Ernest Arthur and Helen Brooks. He attended Western Reserve Academy (1954) in Hudson, Ohio, and Oberlin College (1958). He received his PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle (1968). Taught at Harvard University and Smith College, then became Research Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, leading the Warring States Project from 1993 until he passed away on May 26, 2026. He is survived by his wife and co-researcher A. Taeko Brooks, and his son Clement Brooks of Indianapolis.
His main research focused on the Warring States Period of China (fourth and third centuries BCE). He showed that the texts of that period, traditionally regarded as written by single authors at specific dates, were “school texts” composed by different authors at different dates. For example, the twenty chapters of the Lunyu 論語, traditionally ascribed entirely to Confucius, have a fundamental contradiction between ren 仁 and li 禮. This led to his discovery that the chapters were each composed by different hands at different times over the period from 479 to 221 BCE. See his The Original Analects (1998). He further applied his analytic methodology to other Warring States texts. The overall results appeared in his The Emergence of China (2015), which one reviewer said that it is the only book that shows how a society comes into being.
His studies resulted in the Brooks Index of Rhetorical Diction (BIRD), a research methodology that examines “functional words” to assess both the meaning and emotional message of sentences. He was able to effectively apply the BIRD analysis to other languages and cultures. Ultimately, he showed that all civilizations evolve from religious sacrificial to secular military power societies. He passed away while in the midst of his research on the Old Testament for his book King David: From Sacred to Secular.
Bruce was deeply learned and passionate about his craft. His many insights and his personal example of dogged, convention-defying scholarship have influenced many of us over the decades. Our field is the poorer for the loss of Bruce’s singular presence.
Episode 35 of “This Is the Way”: Confucius on Moral Examples
Confucian philosophers often suggest that having good and bad examples plays a critical role in moral education and motivation. How do good examples figure into our ethical education, and how do bad examples help us discover vices or shortcomings in our selves? In this episode, we discuss this wide-ranging issue in connection with the Analects of Confucius, beginning with Confucius’s famous remark that he can find a teacher in just about any social setting (even when out walking with at least two other people chosen at random). Continue reading →
Two More Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Dear Colleagues,
The 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two events next week:
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On June 17th at 8:00am Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “The Zhuangzi and Post-Truth.“
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On June 18th at 8:00am Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “Paradox in the Zhuangzi.“
Please feel free to advertise these events or share them with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
CFP: ACPA Panel at 2027 Eastern APA
The ACPA (Association of Chinese Philosophers in America) is calling for abstract submissions for the Eastern APA in Boston, MA, which will take place January 13-16, 2027. We will select among submissions to create one panel for the evening group sessions. The submission deadline is July 1, 2026. You may find more information and submit an abstract here (link requires Google sign-in): forms.gle/EfL8w7K49kJphYGT6
Two Upcoming Collaborative Learning Events
Dear Colleagues,
The 四海为学 Collaborative Learning Project will host two events next week:
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On June 9th at 9:00am Beijing time Ellie Wang will give a lecture on “Rhythm, Alignment, and Collective Clarity:
from Affective Salience to Public Order in Xunzi.” -
On June 12th at 20:00 Beijing time we will host a roundtable on “The Radical Zhuangzi.”
Please feel free to advertise these events or share them with anyone. All our events are free and open to everyone. Note that no pre-registration or passcode is required for any 四海为学 events.
Family as Topic, Root, and Model in the West
Here is the beginning of a planned series of sketches on family as topic, root, and model (inspiration for other order) in Western philosophy and culture. I expect to post a new installment every two or three weeks. Papers are linked at their titles.
New Article: Kim, “Contemporary Confucian Political Theory: Its Origin, Evolution, and Challenges”
Sungmoon Kim’s major review essay, “Contemporary Confucian Political Theory: Its Origin, Evolution, and Challenges,” has been published in Political Theory; see here. The Abstract follows.
New Article: Wang, Fairness in care: liberal resources for a Confucian feminist ethics
A new article that will be of interest to many: Wang, B. P. (2026). Fairness in care: liberal resources for a Confucian feminist ethics. Inquiry, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2026.2673083 (open access).
