History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

HPC. 23 Amy Olberding on Confucian Ethics

In our final episode on classical Confucianism, our interview guest tells us about the surprising moral depth of the concept of "etiquette"

HPC 22. Inside Job: Women in Confucianism

Can classical Confucianism be redeemed from its reputation for rigidly hierarchical thinking when it comes to the relationship between men and women?

HPC 21. Sor-Hoon Tan on Confucian Democracy

Can classical Confucian ideas be adapted to produce a theory of democracy fit for today's world?

HPC 20. Heaven Can Wait: Ritual and Religion in Confucianism

Were Confucian ideas about Heaven, ritual, and fate driven by a religious attitude, or a naturalistic one?

HPC 19. The Kingly Way: Confucian Political Philosophy

Mengzi and Xunzi show that a Confucian political theory need not be idealistic.

HPC 18. Erica Brindley on Music and the Cosmos in Confucianism

An interview about the "resonant cosmos" in early Confucianism, and the role played by music in linking sages to the universe.

HPC 17. Knowing Me, Knowing You: Confucian Epistemology

The role of knowing in Confucian ethics: should it be understood as “knowing how,” or even “knowing to,” rather than “knowing that”?

HPC 16. To Become or Not to Become: the Confucians on Our Moral Natures

Morality is what makes us humans, for the Confucians. But does morality come from inside us, outside us, or both?

HPC 15. Flexing Your Moral Muscles: Xunzi on Moral Cultivation

Xunzi, a thinker who shaped the course of Confucian philosophy by showing how deliberate effort can overcome our wicked natural tendencies.

HPC 14. Every Man for Himself: Virtue and the Body

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?