Winter 2018, CairoThematic Course
Classical Chinese Philosophies
Course details
- Cycle
- Winter 2018, Cairo
- Length
- 9 sessions
- Taught in
- English
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About the course
Chinese philosophy is said to have begun with the debate between the thinkers Kongzi (Confucius) and Mozi (Mencius) in the 6th century B.C.E. – a period when China consisted of numerous independent states. It was a time known as the “hundred schools” period (bai jia zhen ming) – literally, the time when “a hundred schools competed to make themselves heard” – a fact attesting to the remarkable breadth of philosophical views put forward. In this course we will think deeply with seven of China’s most incisive, eloquent and influential thinkers belonging to the Confucian tradition, the Daoist, Mohist and Fajia schools, respectively.
Early Chinese philosophers defended tradition and proposed social reforms. They included educators, humanitarians, pragmatists, politicians, hermits, and mystics, who variously speculated about right and wrong, individual and society, nature and culture, knowledge and ignorance. The philosophers we will read held competing visions of the good life, some insisting on the right kind of society for human beings to flourish, others arguing that, in order to pursue the good life, we must allow ourselves to fall back into a preexisting harmony with Nature.
Arguably, the most important lesson to be learned from this rich and complex history is that (early) Chinese philosophy is not a single theory, thinker or tradition, but rather a diverse and lively conversation that has been going on for more than 2,500 years, and that continues to evolve in our time.
Why Apply:
To discuss “perennial questions” around Oolong and Pu’erh tea with two enthusiasts of Chinese philosophy and the art of tea
To read closely, and to listen closely (to podcasts), and to be exposed to a lively and ongoing conversation taking place in China
To learn how classical Chinese philosophies relate to the good life, as well as to ancient Chinese martial arts, such as Qi Gong and Taiji
Who teaches it
Robin Weiss received her Ph.D. from DePaul University, and taught most recently at Mount Allison University in Canada. She specializes in ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, and in Roman Stoicism in particular, where it relates to the connection between thought and action. She has written on how the Stoics understood practical, as opposed to theoretical, intelligence, and also how it was understood by their predecessor, Aristotle. Her interests extend to the differing ways in which this connection has been taken up by subsequent thinkers, who have variously described it—in the traditions of Continental Philosophy and American Pragmatism—as the connection between knowing and doing, truth and subjectivity, theory and praxis.
Course flow
Sessions without a date
Chinese Philosophy Describes Human Nature and What We Can Do With It
- The Concept of Man in Early China, by Munro McDonald
In class
- PresentationTalk by I-Kai Jeng on Chinese terminology (with focus on the concepts of ren, ‘humanity,’ and li, ‘ritual’)
Mozi’s Answer: A Hierarchically Structured Society and Impartiality
- Mozi, Selections from The Mozi (p.54-107), with a special focus on Chapter Eight; “Honoring the Worthy”; Chapter Eleven, “Obeying One’s Superior; and Chapter; and Chapter Sixteen, “Impartial Caring.”
Confucius’ Answer: A Society Based on Reciprocal Relationships
- Confucius, The Analects, p.1-54.
Mengzi’s Answer: A Society Based on Fostering Inner Virtue
- Mengzi, Selections from the The Mengzi, p.111-156, with a special focus on “Heart” (6A7); “Ox Mountain” (68A); “Seeds” (67A), “Human Nature is Like Cups and Bowls” (6A1); Human Nature is Like Water” (6A2).
Xunzi’s Answer: Correctly Channeled Human Desires and and a Harmonious Society
- Xunzi. Selections from The Xunzi, p.347-294.
Zhuangzi’s Answer: A Return to Nature
- Zhunagzi, “The Inner Chapters,” p.203-246.
Zhuangzi’s Answer: Spontaneous Skill and “Listening with the Qi”
- Zhunagzi, “The Inner Chapters,” p.203-246, especially “In the World of Men” and “Let it Be, Leave it Alone.”
In class
- ExerciseFinalization of a Questions Catalogue as method – to present to experts in Chinese philosophy at National Taiwan University (NTU).
Zhuangzi’s Answer: Avoiding the Traps of Language and Shifting Perspectives
- Laozi, The Daodejing, p.157-202.
In class
- PresentationGuest lecture by Xiao Hu on the history and philosophy of ancient Chinese martial arts on the concept of qi (and/or guest lecture by expert on martial arts from Taiwanese Martial Arts in the United States).
Laozi’s Answer: Nature is a Spontaneous Self-Ordering Principle
- Laozi, The Daodejing, p.157-202.
In class
- DiscussionSkype with experts in Chinese philosophy at NTU, and ask them questions from our catalogue.
Course reading list
- Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, edited by Philip. J. Ivanhoe and Bryan Van NordenReadings are taken from this collection
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