Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
The role of knowing in Confucian ethics: should it be understood as “knowing how,” or even “knowing to,” rather than “knowing that”?
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
HPC 16. To Become or Not to Become: the Confucians on Our Moral Natures
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
Morality is what makes us humans, for the Confucians. But does morality come from inside us, outside us, or both?
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
HPC 15. Flexing Your Moral Muscles: Xunzi on Moral Cultivation
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
Xunzi, a thinker who shaped the course of Confucian philosophy by showing how deliberate effort can overcome our wicked natural tendencies.
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
HPC 14. Every Man for Himself: Virtue and the Body
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Several ancient Chinese texts speak of an egoist and hedonist known as Yang Zhu: did he pose a coherent challenge to the Confucians and other ethicists?
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
HPC 13. The Trembling Ox: Mengzi and the Compassionate Heart
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
In the Mengzi, the text that bears his name, Mengzi ("Mencius") holds that the human heart-mind is the wellspring of goodness.
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
HPC 12. Gentlemen’s Agreement: Confucian Virtue Ethics
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
Should the remarkable parallels between Aristotelian and Confucian ethics lead us to classify Confucianism as a type of “virtue ethics”?
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
HPC 11. Mark Csikszentmihalyi on Early Confucianism
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
In this interview, we learn how Kongzi become the pivotal sage of early Chinese history, and what new discoveries teach us about the Confucian tradition.
Sunday Jul 14, 2024
HPC 10. We’re a Pack Animal: Individual and Society in Confucianism
Sunday Jul 14, 2024
Sunday Jul 14, 2024
What does the Analects say about living as a human being? How are individuals embedded in society, and how do they develop their unique identities?
Sunday Jun 30, 2024
HPC 09. Family Values: Confucian Role Ethics
Sunday Jun 30, 2024
Sunday Jun 30, 2024
Confucianism puts relationships with family members at the core of their ethical thinking. Is this a strength or a weakness?
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
HPC 08. Confucius Says: Reading the Analects
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
Sunday Jun 16, 2024
Lessons we can take from the teachings of Kongzi (Confucius) in the Analects: challenging authorities, adhering to “benevolence (ren),” and practicing “propriety (li)” in ritual and everyday life.