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This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 22: The Good Life in the AnalectsWhat sort of vision of the good life does Confucius recommend? In this episode, we explore one of the most intriguing passages in the Analects (11.26), where Confucius asks four disciples about their deepest aspirations. Three students offer increasingly modest political goals—from Zilu's grand vision of governing a besieged state to Zihua's humble wish to serve as a minor functionary in ritual ceremonies. But a fourth student, the musical Zengxi, describes something completely different: a spring day spent with friends and younger students, bathing in the Yi River, enjoying the breeze at the Rain Dance Altar, and returning home si...2025-07-1858 minThis Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 21: Xunzi’s Way—Discovered or Invented?This episode is our first on the classical Confucian philosopher Xunzi 荀子 (3rd century BCE), who was famous for arguing that human nature is bad and for casting doubt on the more supernatural or superstitious justifications for traditional Confucian rituals, among many other things. Since this is the first episode on an important philosopher, we spend some time in part I discussing his "big picture" philosophical worldview. In part II, we turn to the following question: does Xunzi think of the Confucian Way as something that sages discover or invent? A little reflection on this question shows that it has major...2025-06-271h 12This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 20: Confucianism vs. Buddhism (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, J...2025-06-051h 30This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 19: Zhu Xi on the Unity of the VirtuesToday's topic is really about two things. First, it's about the claim that many instantiations of one virtue necessarily come packaged with other virtues. For example, you can't have great humaneness or benevolence in your charitable giving to other people unless you also show a certain amount of ritual respect to them. Second, it's about the view that one virtue in particular -- the virtue of humaneness or good caring (ren 仁) -- is more central or fundamental than the others. The Neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) proposes that we can understand both the unity of virtues and the central imp...2025-04-061h 26This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 18: Neo-Confucian MetaphysicsMuch of the technical philosophy of Confucianism was developed by sophisticated thinkers that came well after the time of Confucius, starting in the Song dynasty. This episode is our first devoted to the foremost of these "Neo-Confucians," Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200 CE). To help us with this introduction, we are joined by special guest Stephen C. Angle, one of the leading scholars of Neo-Confucianism. Consider a boat: it’s the nature of a boat to move more easily over water and not over land, and there is greater harmony and order in using boats this way than in trying...2025-03-081h 31This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 17: The Mohist State of Nature ArgumentIn this episode, we delve into the Mozi’s "state of nature argument," a vision of human life before political order and an explanation of how humans left that state. The Mohists were history’s first consequentialists and an important and influential classical school of thought. Were they right about the foundations of political society and government? Join us as we examine the Mohists' most influential moral and political ideas and explore how moral disagreement and self-interest shape political order.Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.Want to cont...2025-02-141h 19This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 16: Zhuangzi on UselessnessIn this episode, we talk about the theme of uselessness in the Zhuangzi, one of the great foundational texts of philosophical Daoism. What exactly determines whether something is useful or useless? Is usefulness largely or fundamentally a matter of perspective? Does the text's apparent recommendation that we be "useless" (in some sense) entail some sort of realism or objectivism about value? We explore these themes together with our guest, Chris Fraser, a major scholar of the Zhuangzi.Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.Want to continue the discussion...2025-01-221h 19This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 15: Ritual in the AnalectsIt is indisputable that ritual is at the heart of Confucianism—buy why? In this episode we examine Analects 3.17 in which Confucius seems keen to defend a ritual sacrifice of a lamb which his student regards as excessive. We discuss this passage in light of Richard Wollheim's paper, "The Sheep and the Ceremony" which offers a deep and illuminating exploration of this passage and the value of ritual more broadly. We examine questions about the possibility of seeing ritual as intrinsically valuable or constitutive of a good human life, and offer some suggestions about why the Confucians may have be...2025-01-011h 14This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 14: Women in the AnalectsIn the received version of the Analects, it’s quite apparent that all of Confucius’s disciples were men. So one might wonder: is this an ethics built just for men? Today we are happy to be joined by Professor Erin Cline, Tagliabue Professor at Georgetown University, to discuss this timely issue, focusing on a controversial passage that features the only woman cited by name in the Analects, Nanzi 南子. Professor Cline argues that the conventional reading of this passage is wrong and that a more plausible understanding of it is important for addressing common criticisms of patriarchy and sexism in the A...2024-12-151h 04This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 13: Family Before StateConfucianism is well known for prioritizing familial responsibilities and love over other competing demands such as public interest or duties to the state. In this episode we explore two of the best known passages from early Confucianism that some modern scholars believe makes Confucianism morally problematic. The first passage we discuss is the "Upright Gong" passage, Analects 13.18, which has Confucius advocating mutual "covering up" of crimes by fathers and sons. The second passage is Mengzi 7A35, in which Mengzi is asked what the sage king Shun would have done if his father had committed murder. Mengzi's answer, briefly stated...2024-11-1957 minThis Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 12: PlayPlay seems to constitute an important part of a flourishing human life. Most of us experience play through things like simple childhood games of hide-and-go-seek or more intellectual activities like chess or go. What these experiences of play have in common is that they are circumscribed in various ways by the times, places, and circumstances established by the boundaries and rules of those games. But what if the attitudes that we bring to play were applied to our lives more broadly? In this episode we explore the concept of play as a way of life. We explore it with P...2024-10-291h 36This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 11: NonactionThe concept of wu-wei, often translated as nonaction or effortless action is central to classical Chinese philosophy. But what exactly is the idea and what are its practical implications? What puzzles does it raise regarding the nature of human actions, purpose, and intention? We examine these questions by focusing on some central passages from the Daodejing. Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.Want to continue the discussion? Need links to some of the sources mentioned? Go to the support page for this episode on Warp, Weft, and Way.2024-10-071h 11This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 11: NonactionThe concept of wu-wei, often translated as nonaction or effortless action is central to classical Chinese philosophy. But what exactly is the idea and what are its practical implications? What puzzles does it raise regarding the nature of human actions, purpose, and intention? We examine these questions by focusing on some central passages from the Daodejing. 2024-10-071h 29This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 10: Mencius on Moral DevelopmentHow do we become good? What is the process by which we acquire the virtues? We examine these question by focusing on some key concepts in Mencius's account of moral development such as reflection and extension. This discussion also centers on Mengzi 1A7 and the famous "king and the ox" passage that has been the subject of much conversation and debate.We are honored and delighted to be joined by Professor Bryan Van Norden, one of the world's leading scholars of Chinese philosophy and author of numerous highly influential books and articles. Please check out his work...2024-09-141h 29This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 9: Moral SproutsWhat is the nature and source of morality? Are human beings naturally inclined toward moral goodness? The early Confucian thinker Mencius (Mengzi) believed that human beings by nature possessed certain moral sprouts that could be nurtured and developed into robust virtues. In this episode we explore Mencius's account of these moral sprouts, examining both philosophical and psychological justifications for their existence. Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.Want to continue the discussion? Need links to some of the sources mentioned? Go to the support page for this episode...2024-08-301h 26This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 8: The Golden RuleAcross different religious and moral traditions we often find some version of the Golden Rule. In this episode we explore the Golden Rule as formulated in the Analects and explore questions such as how fundamental it is to the Confucian ethical framework, how it is supposed to work in actual practice, and how it connects with issues about self-centeredness. We also examine how it might apply differently to ordinary people and sages, focusing on Analects 15.24 and Analects 6.30.Many thanks to The Hong Kong Ethics Lab for sponsoring this podcast series.Want to continue the discussion...2024-08-191h 38This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 7: The ButcherCertain allegories and myths offer profound philosophical insights. In the West, Plato's Allegory of the Cave occupies a key role in the history of philosophy with its marvelous representation of the quest for knowledge and the distinction between illusion and reality. In the East, Zhuangzi's story of the butcher, "Cook Ding" has for over two millennia served as one of the most memorable and stunning illustrations of the Daoist conception of the Way. In this episode we are delighted to be joined by Professor Karyn Lai to discuss this remarkable passage from the Zhuangzi. In the course...2024-07-241h 34This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 6: Partiality and JusticeIt seems clear that special relationships give rise to strong attachments and responsibilities that are at the heart of human lives. But it also seems that considerations of justice can require us to give equal consideration to a stranger. What do we do when there is a conflict between considerations of partiality and impartiality? In this episode we explore these questions with a special guest, Professor Tao Jiang who is a professor of religion and philosophy at Rutgers University and also the director of the Rutgers Center for Chinese Studies. We explore the themes of humaneness, justice...2024-07-051h 25This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 5: Cultivation and the Autobiography of ConfuciusIn this episode we discuss Confucius's autobiography as found in Analects 2.4, one of the most famous passages in the Analects and a rich resource for reflection on the process of moral self-cultivation. Among the many topics we explore: what Confucius meant by being "free of doubts" and "understanding Heaven's Mandate," and the relationship between practicing and understanding the Confucian Way. We discuss how traditional commentaries and commentators have interpreted some of the most interesting and disputed lines, and puzzle over the philosophical concept of 'wholeheartedness.' We primarily use Edward Slingerland's Hackett translation of the Analects for o...2024-06-021h 28This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 4: PersuasionIn this episode we discuss the topic of persuasion by exploring a dialogue between Confucius and his disciple Yan Hui in Chapter Four of the Zhuangzi. Among the questions we explore are: (1) Is persuading someone who disagrees with you even possible? (2) Under what conditions might someone be persuaded to a different viewpoint? (3) What is the concept of "fasting of the mind" as presented by Confucius? (4) What kind of power do philosophical arguments possess? Show notes: We used the translation of the Zhuangzi from Paul Kjellberg in Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (H...2024-03-111h 36This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 3: OnenessIn this episode we explore the fascinating topic of Oneness with our guest Philip J. Ivanhoe, a distinguished scholar and translator of East Asian philosophy. Join the discussion of episode 3 here!We thank Lena Li (LI La 李拉 ) for her expert editing and sound engineering. We also thank the blog Warp, Weft & Way for hosting the discussion for this episode.Co-hosts:Richard Kim's websiteJustin Tiwald's website2024-02-201h 27This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 1: DetachmentIn this episode we introduce ourselves and explore the concept of detachment, focusing especially on the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu 莊子), a classical Chinese text.Want to continue the discussion? Need links to some of the sources mentioned? Go to the support page for this episode on Warp, Weft, and Way.We thank Lena Li (LI La 李拉 ) for her expert editing and sound engineering. We also thank the blog Warp, Weft & Way for hosting the discussion for this episode.Co-hosts:Richard Kim's websiteJustin Tiwald's website2024-01-311h 11This Is The Way: Chinese Philosophy PodcastEpisode 2: ShameIn this episode we interview Dr. Jing Iris Hu (HU Jing 胡婧), an associate professor at Concordia University in Canada. The central concept we explore is shame as represented in Confucian texts. Dr. Hu offers a nuanced defense of the value of Confucian shame and what it may play in our ethical lives. Please check out Dr. Hu's article, "Shame, Vulnerability, and Change" (Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 2022) to learn more.Join the discussion of episode 2 here!We thank Lena Li (LI La 李拉 ) for her expert editing and sound engineering. We also thank the blog...2024-01-291h 12