Bin Song
Washington College, Philosophy and Religion, Faculty Member
- Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue, Theology of Religions, Theology and Religious Studies, Philosophy, Business and Spirituality, Confucianism, and 20 moreChinese Philosohpy, Chinese Studies, Comparative Philosophy, Comparative Religion, Comparative Theology, Metaphysics, Political Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Buddhism, Paul Tillich, Christianity, Comparative Philosophy and Religion, Business Ethics, Peter F. Drucker, Neo-Confucianism, Ethics, Intercultural Philosophy, Confucius, Philosophy and poetry, and Philosophy as Therapyedit
- Bin Song, PhD of religious studies at Boston University (2018), PhD of philosophy at Nankai University (2009), and is... moreBin Song, PhD of religious studies at Boston University (2018), PhD of philosophy at Nankai University (2009), and is now an assistant professor of philosophy and religion at Washington College (U.S). Dr. Song has studied and worked in multiple institutions of higher education in Europe, America, the mainland of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He founded and was the president of Boston University Confucian Association from 2014-2018. With a modern and global awareness, his scholarship and social activities focus on the comparative study of Philosophy, Religion and Theology to better the world. His personal website is http://binsong.live. His updatable C.V. is here: https://binsong.live/c-v-2/.
宋斌，波士顿大学宗教学博士（2018），南开大学哲学博士（2009），现任美国华盛顿学院哲学与宗教学助理教授。宋斌博士曾于欧美、中国大陆、港台多所高等教育机构学习与工作，并于波士顿就学期间创立波士顿大学儒学社(2014-2018)。宋博士的学术与社会活动致力于哲学、宗教学与神学的比较研究，以此涵养本心、文明淑世。个人网站：http://binsong.live.edit
A Ruist (Confucian) Vision of Joy and the Good Life in light of classical and Neo-Confucianism. Co-authored by Bin Song and Stephen C. Angle. Published in What Is the Good Life?: Perspectives from Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology, ed.... more
A Ruist (Confucian) Vision of Joy and the Good Life in light of classical and Neo-Confucianism. Co-authored by Bin Song and Stephen C. Angle. Published in What Is the Good Life?: Perspectives from Religion, Philosophy, and Psychology, ed. by Drew Collins and Matthew Croasmun (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2023), pp.65-91.
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A constructive interpretation of nondualism in Confucianism (Ruism). Published in Nondualism: An Interreligious Exploration, ed. by Jon Paul Sydnor and Anthony Watson (Lexington Books, 2023): pp.243-260.
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An entry that introduces Kongzi, Mengzi, Xunzi, Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming in the Routledge Research Encyclopedia of Chinese Religion and Philosophy.
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“Recalling the Boston University Confucian Association: Bittersweet Stories, Lessons Learned,” in With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps and Mistakes, ed. by Lucina Mosher, Elinor J. Pierce and Or N. Rose (Orbis Books,... more
“Recalling the Boston University Confucian Association: Bittersweet Stories, Lessons Learned,” in With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps and Mistakes, ed. by Lucina Mosher, Elinor J. Pierce and Or N. Rose (Orbis Books, October 2023), pp.132-138.
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“Is There or Shall We Need a ‘Home’ for Comparative Theologies? A Ru (Confucian) Response to Francis X. Clooney,” in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Comparative Theology: A Festschrift in Honor of Francis X. Clooney, SJ, ed. by Axel... more
“Is There or Shall We Need a ‘Home’ for Comparative Theologies? A Ru (Confucian) Response to Francis X. Clooney,” in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Comparative Theology: A Festschrift in Honor of Francis X. Clooney, SJ, ed. by Axel Takacs, Joseph Kimmel (Wiley Blackwell, 2023): pp.491-500.
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This study delves into Cheng Yi's (程頤, 1033-1107) Ruist (Confucian) contemplative practices, addressing a gap in contemplative studies from a Ruist perspective. As a seminal thinker in the Cheng-Zhu lineage, Cheng Yi developed various... more
This study delves into Cheng Yi's (程頤, 1033-1107) Ruist (Confucian) contemplative practices, addressing a gap in contemplative studies from a Ruist perspective. As a seminal thinker in the Cheng-Zhu lineage, Cheng Yi developed various practices, including quiet-sitting meditation, beholding, calligraphy, restful sleep, and others. These practices incorporate techniques such as sitting postures, breathing, and calming the mind and emerged during political and social crises, amid diverse interpretations of Ruist classics and the influences of Buddhism and Daoism. Cheng Yi's contemplative approach emphasizes the integration of the virtues of "reverence" and "righteousness," focusing on the ontological and empirical dimensions of the human heartmind. His metaphysics highlights the nontemporality of the pattern-principle's regulatory role, enhancing the pancontemplative nature of the Ruist lifestyle. Cheng Yi's approach provides valuable comparative insights for contemporary contemplative studies and guidance for practitioners seeking to balance intellectualism, contemplation, and ethical action. The study offers original translations and comprehensive scholarly analysis of Cheng Yi's Ruist contemplative practices.
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This was originally a presentation on Kirk R. MacGregor's outstanding book "Paul Tillich and Religious Socialism" in the 2022 AAR annual meeting at Denver.
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This paper compares the conception of ideal vs reality in the Mengzi and the Gospel of John. A study of comparative philosophy, theology and religion.
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Comparing Donald Trump, popularly elected and serving a single four-year term before losing his bid for reelection, and Mao Zedong, who ruled China autocratically for decades, might point to more differences than similarities. But Bin... more
Comparing Donald Trump, popularly elected and serving a single four-year term before losing his bid for reelection, and Mao Zedong, who ruled China autocratically for decades, might point to more differences than similarities. But Bin Song, in his chapter, comparing these two figures, sees an essential parallel: both Mao and Trump relied on, as their chief base of support, personal allegiance from millions of fervent followers who saw themselves engaged in a titanic struggle against elites who had weakened and betrayed the nation, and would do so again if they gained power. This mass of citizens-factory workers, peasants and “red guards” for Mao, “red-staters” for Trump-saw the two men as avatars of the true nation: strong, heroic men defending a great community’s cultural integrity and heritage against faceless bureaucrats and opportunistic political elites. But Song takes this populist analysis one step further: beyond cultivating an intensely political loyalty to a hero defending a beleaguered cultural identity, Mao and Trump made an explicitly religious appeal: anti-intellectualism with a religious dimension, viz., the “heart knowledge”, or “conscientious awareness,” as Song translates from the Chinese. Trump, Song argues, consistently preferred to appeal to religious belief over bureaucratic or scientific claims of expertise, for instance, in his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Neither Mao nor Trump was personally deeply religious, Song suggests, but both deftly deployed religious tropes-in the case of Mao, Ruism or Confucian wisdom; in the case of Trump, biblical allusions.
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* People identified with being "spiritual but not religious (SBNR)" now comprise around a quarter of American adults and their number keeps growing. Despite the ambiguity of their spiritual states which defy easy characterization, SBNRs... more
* People identified with being "spiritual but not religious (SBNR)" now comprise around a quarter of American adults and their number keeps growing. Despite the ambiguity of their spiritual states which defy easy characterization, SBNRs are consistent in their tendency of dabbling in or seeking spiritual resources outside traditional institutional boundaries of religions. As a research program organized in the American Academy of Religion, Theology Without Walls (TWW) aims to pursue theology as an open inquiry into ultimate reality untethered to institutional restrictions of religions, from whatever tradition a theologian may start her inquiry. Are SBNRs amenable to TWW? How do we look at the phenomenon of SBNR from the perspective of TWW and other related viewpoints of inter-or trans-religious studies? This special issue gathers scholarly contributions in areas such as sociology, pastoral care, pedagogy, psychology, political science, theology, and religious studies in order to shed light on these questions.
* The full issue is available: https://irstudies.org/index.php/jirs/issue/view/45.
* The full issue is available: https://irstudies.org/index.php/jirs/issue/view/45.
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This paper puts the radical modernization of China between 1840-1970s in the perspective of Paul Tillich's theological reflection on utopianism, and argues that the rising of Neo-Confucianism in middle and late imperial China bears a... more
This paper puts the radical modernization of China between 1840-1970s in the perspective of Paul Tillich's theological reflection on utopianism, and argues that the rising of Neo-Confucianism in middle and late imperial China bears a strong resemblance to the event of China's radical modernization, and hence, there is an utopian root within the Confucian political thought for the event in question.
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What can remain unchanged while the Ru tradition (Confucianism) is continually passed down generationally and passed on geographically to non-Chinese Asian countries and beyond? Does the answer to this question hinted by the tradition... more
What can remain unchanged while the Ru tradition (Confucianism) is continually passed down generationally and passed on geographically to non-Chinese Asian countries and beyond? Does the answer to this question hinted by the tradition itself, viz., the ethic of Three Guides and Five Constant Virtues, still work in contemporary society? As intrigued by these fundamental questions on Ruism, scholars have debated on the nature of the ethic and its adaptability to the contemporary world. One side of scholars condemned it as an outdated, premodern ethic of power which urges unconditional obedience to hierarchy, while another side championed it as a modern ethic which aims to strengthen the autonomy of each individual in reciprocal relationships. While presenting two cases of Ru business practice, viz., Shibusawa Eiichi in Meiji Japan and Peter Drucker in the contemporary U.S., the article treats the controversial ethic as a hypothesis, and assesses it using an empirical method to reinforce views of scholars who have furnished a favorable interpretation of the ethic.
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Bin Song is interviewed by the blog of American Philosophical Association, with a title "Practical Enlightenment." The interview reflects broadly upon the nature of Ru (Confucian) scholarship in a post-colonial world, as well as the value... more
Bin Song is interviewed by the blog of American Philosophical Association, with a title "Practical Enlightenment." The interview reflects broadly upon the nature of Ru (Confucian) scholarship in a post-colonial world, as well as the value of the concept of "Philosophy as a Way of Life." https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/03/19/practical-enlightenment/.
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This papers compares Paul Tillich's thought of the "Protestant Principle" with Mengzi's and Xunzi's thought to conclude that Mengzi's understanding on Tian, Sage and Human Nature is closer to Paul Tillich's.
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Bin Song is interviewed by "Into Philosophy" of the Blog of American Philosophical Association (APA), and talks about his growing and learning experience as a Ru (Confucian) scholar in China, France and U.S., as well as his views on the... more
Bin Song is interviewed by "Into Philosophy" of the Blog of American Philosophical Association (APA), and talks about his growing and learning experience as a Ru (Confucian) scholar in China, France and U.S., as well as his views on the difference between philosophy and religion, Ruist practices, and other topics.
The full publication can be checked at https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/02/19/on-flight/.
The full publication can be checked at https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/02/19/on-flight/.
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Comparative Theology as a Liberal Art Bin Song Theorists of comparative theology (CT)'s reluctance to fully recognize the CT of Keith Ward's type as theology derives from their conception of theology limited by the Thomist model of "faith... more
Comparative Theology as a Liberal Art Bin Song Theorists of comparative theology (CT)'s reluctance to fully recognize the CT of Keith Ward's type as theology derives from their conception of theology limited by the Thomist model of "faith seeking understanding." By investigating Aristotle's theology as integral to philosophy as a way of life in ancient Greek thought, we can rediscover the disciplinary nature of CT as a liberal art. This resource of CT alternative to the dominant Christian models furnishes general terms and concepts to pursue CT from a non-Christian perspective such as Ruism (Confucianism). The Ruist view on inter-traditional learning, which can be portrayed as a "seeded, open inclusivism," provides an enriched vision to advance the contemporary study of CT as a genuinely global enterprise.
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Neville’s comparative study of religion cannot be neatly categorized into current divisions of human knowledge of religion. Its comparative method of vague categories remains hospitable to varying scholarly interests. With the help of... more
Neville’s comparative study of religion cannot be neatly categorized into current divisions of human knowledge of religion. Its comparative method of vague categories remains hospitable to varying scholarly interests. With the help of this methodology, Neville contributes in a sui generis fashion to the Christian- Ru transcendence debate. An analysis of these three aspects of Neville’s work supports reflection upon the nature and future of comparative study of religion.
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The distinguished professor of religion (Emeritus) Robison James at University of Richmond responds to Bin Song's 2019 AAR presentation "The Utopian Seed of Modern Chinese Politics in Ruism (Confucianism) and its Paul Tillich Remedy."
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学界迄今尚未开展经验研究(empirical research)以评价美国公众对于儒学的认知和态度。为弥补这一缺憾，本文以问卷调查的方式开展了非理论、描述性的经验研究，并对调查结果进行了讨论。由此，本文试图在经验层面提供美国公众对于儒学的认知现状的基本图景，并以此推动相关主题的进一步研究，以便为在美国普通民众及学术界中推广儒学的努力提供指导。站在儒家哲学及历史发展的角度上，本文亦对此经验调查结果的更广泛的应用性进行了理论反思。
Research Interests: Confucianism and Ruism
To date, no empirical research has been conducted to assess American public knowledge of, and attitudes toward Ruism. This paper presents and discusses the results of an atheoretical, descriptive survey study which addresses this gap. An... more
To date, no empirical research has been conducted to assess American public knowledge of, and attitudes toward Ruism. This paper presents and discusses the results of an atheoretical, descriptive survey study which addresses this gap. An empirical baseline of public knowledge and perceptions of Ruism in the U.S. is therefore established to inform further research and to guide practical efforts of promoting Ruism among the general public and academia. The study concludes with a theoretical reflection upon the results and their potential application from the perspectives of Ruist philosophy and history.
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Understood as being nothing more than fallible assumptions about the boundary conditions of an inquisitive worldview, this article seeks to argue that metaphysics and theology can, in fact, be pursued as a scientific endeavor. If we... more
Understood as being nothing more than fallible assumptions about the boundary conditions of an inquisitive worldview, this article seeks to argue that metaphysics and theology can, in fact, be pursued as a scientific endeavor. If we broaden our understanding of how perceived realities furnish feedback in order to refine preestablished human discourses, Ruist (Confucian) metaphysics and theology especially can be recognized as being historically pursued as a science by its own right. Eventually, the distinction of Western and Ruist traditions of metaphysics and theology, as well as the imperfections in each of them, speaks to the need of mutual learning for constructing a more robust metaphysical worldview in the twenty-first century.
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由于尚未发现将儒学观念转化为资本主义经济活动的社会机制，学者们迄今对“后儒家假设”中所预设的儒家思想与亚洲早期工业发展之间的因果关系存在质疑。对作为一位独立儒商的涩泽荣一在日本资本主义形成过程中的关键作用的研究，既可以对上述因果关系作出说明，也能够让我们理解儒家宗教性的特色。通过这一研究，本文亦重新考察马克斯·韦伯的宗教社会学方法论以及商业史研究对于当代商业教育的意义。
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An inability of discovering a solid social mechanism transmitting Confucian ideas into capitalistic activities makes scholars disagree on the causal relationship between Confucianism and the rising industrial Asia, which is assumed by the... more
An inability of discovering a solid social mechanism transmitting Confucian ideas into capitalistic activities makes scholars disagree on the causal relationship between Confucianism and the rising industrial Asia, which is assumed by the so-called post-Confucian hypothesis. A study of the decisive role of Shibusawa Eiichi, as an independent Confucian businessperson, in the formation of Japanese capitalism sheds light upon our understanding on both the causal relationship and the features of Confucian religiousness. Through the study, Max Weber’s methodology of sociology of religion and the meaning of the study of business history on today’s business education can also be reexamined. (A slightly more refined version of the attached paper is published in Confucian Academy, 2018, Issue 4.)
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An explanatory and exploratory interpretation of the quintessential Ru (Confucian) metaphysical idea of "Sheng Sheng (Birth Birth)" in the Book of Change. A more extensive version of the paper is found at my Master Thesis "Confucian... more
An explanatory and exploratory interpretation of the quintessential Ru (Confucian) metaphysical idea of "Sheng Sheng (Birth Birth)" in the Book of Change. A more extensive version of the paper is found at my Master Thesis "Confucian Sacred Canopy in Yijing" submitted in Spring of 2014, Boston University. A more refined version of this paper has been published at the English issue of "Zhouyi Studies (周易研究)" in Vol. 9, no.1 (June 2018), 35-55.
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A complete Ru (Confucian) style of exegesis on Hexagram Meng of the Book of Change to explain the Ru philosophy of education. Part of this paper has been published in Chapter 7, "Confucianism Reconsidered: Insights for American and... more
A complete Ru (Confucian) style of exegesis on Hexagram Meng of the Book of Change to explain the Ru philosophy of education. Part of this paper has been published in Chapter 7, "Confucianism Reconsidered: Insights for American and Chinese Education in the 21st Century," edited by Xiufeng Liu and Wen Ma. New York: State University of New York Press, 2018 (June): pp.131-150.
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Political theology is for Dorothee Soelle a theological hermeneutics, which emphasizes that the truth of a theological statement consists in its answerability to concrete situations in human history and in its transformative effect in... more
Political theology is for Dorothee Soelle a theological hermeneutics, which emphasizes that the truth of a theological statement consists in its answerability to concrete situations in human history and in its transformative effect in praxis. With this idea, political mysticism is, on the one hand, Soelle’s historical research concerning the political dimension of Christian mysticisms, and on the other hand, Soelle’s presentation of her idiosyncratic version of mysticism, a modern mystical journey, that reacts against the institutional injustice and individual powerlessness that are inherent in the current political and economic order of global capitalism. Inspired by other mystic thinkers such as Simon Weil and Rudolf Otto, Soelle’s po-litical mysticism could possibly be improved to become more adaptable and func-tional in contemporary society. (Published in the Studies of Spirituality, Vol. 26, 2016)
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An explanation of the "three sacrificial rituals" in Ruism (Confucianism) to indicate further the practicability of Ru philosophy. A more refined version of this article has been published at APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian-American... more
An explanation of the "three sacrificial rituals" in Ruism (Confucianism) to indicate further the practicability of Ru philosophy. A more refined version of this article has been published at APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies, Vol. 17, No.2, 2018 Spring.
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A book review of Philip J. Ivanhoe's "Oneness: East Asian Conceptions of Virtue, Happiness, and How We are All Connected" (2017) at Notre Dame Philosophical Review
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Journal of Interreligious Studies, Issue 25, 2019 Feb.
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The review is published in the American Academy of Religion "Reading Religion":
http://readingreligion.org/books/confucianisms-changing-world-cultural-order
http://readingreligion.org/books/confucianisms-changing-world-cultural-order
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A slightly more refined version is published at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, 2019.03.33. https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/neo-confucianism-metaphysics-mind-and-morality/
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This review is published at the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, January 14/2020.
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This article reviews Shaun O’Dwyer’s latest book, Confucianism’s Prospects: A Reassessment (SUNY, 2019). By critiquing philosophical theories of “Confucian democracy” and their shared sociological assumption that Confucianism still... more
This article reviews Shaun O’Dwyer’s latest book, Confucianism’s Prospects: A Reassessment (SUNY, 2019). By critiquing philosophical theories of “Confucian democracy” and their shared sociological assumption that Confucianism still functions as a cultural matrix for East Asian societies, O’Dwyer argues that visions on the future of Confucianism alternative to what the currently fixed institutional infrastructure of liberal democracy entails are flawed. This is mainly because if unconstrained by the infrastructure, the hardwired paternalism and elitism of Confucian ethics would necessarily impose morally taxing burdens upon a de facto pluralistic society. This article assesses O’Dwyer’s counterarguments to “Confucian democracy,” and proposes a different approach to estimate the prospects of Confucianism in the contemporary world.
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For scholars who are concerned with the existence of "Transcendence" in early Chinese thought, I wrote the review, which is published by Notre Dame Philosophical Review:... more
For scholars who are concerned with the existence of "Transcendence" in early Chinese thought, I wrote the review, which is published by Notre Dame Philosophical Review: https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/transcendence-and-non-naturalism-in-early-chinese-thought/.
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I review the book from the perspective of interreligious studies for the Journal of Interreligious Studies.
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A review of "Theology Without Walls: The Trans-religious Imperative." Edited by Jerry L. Martin.
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A book review on a newly published English translation of Ying-Shih Yu's named book. It analyzes and critiques Yu's method of sociological and historical studies of the this-worldly ethic in early modern Chinese religious traditions.
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* People identified with being “spiritual but not religious (SBNR)” now comprise around a quarter of American adults and their number keeps growing. Despite the ambiguity of their spiritual states which defy easy characterization, SBNRs... more
* People identified with being “spiritual but not religious (SBNR)” now comprise around a quarter of American adults and their number keeps growing. Despite the ambiguity of their spiritual states which defy easy characterization, SBNRs are consistent in their tendency of dabbling in or seeking spiritual resources outside traditional institutional boundaries of religions. As a research program organized in the American Academy of Religion, Theology Without Walls (TWW) aims to pursue theology as an open inquiry into ultimate reality untethered to institutional restrictions of religions, from whatever tradition a theologian may start her inquiry. Are SBNRs amenable to TWW? How do we look at the phenomenon of SBNR from the perspective of TWW and other related viewpoints of inter- or trans-religious studies? This special issue gathers scholarly contributions in areas such as sociology, pastoral care, pedagogy, psychology, political science, theology, and religious studies in order to shed light on these questions.
* The Full Journal Issue can be found at: https://irstudies.org/index.php/jirs/issue/view/45.
* The Full Journal Issue can be found at: https://irstudies.org/index.php/jirs/issue/view/45.
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A detailed explanation and critique of Descartes' Mechanical Philosophy from the perspectives of physics and metaphysics. This is my first academic monograph, which derives from my first dissertation (2009) as a PhD of Philosophy at... more
A detailed explanation and critique of Descartes' Mechanical Philosophy from the perspectives of physics and metaphysics. This is my first academic monograph, which derives from my first dissertation (2009) as a PhD of Philosophy at Nankai University, China. In order to write the dissertation, I once visited and did research in the Center of Cartesian Studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) in Paris from 2007-8. The book was published in Chinese by the Press of China Social Sciences at 2012.
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A Chinese translation of Maria Rosa Antognazza, "Leibniz An Intellectual Biography," Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. The book is published by the Press of Renmin University of China, 2015. A digital link can be found at... more
A Chinese translation of Maria Rosa Antognazza, "Leibniz An Intellectual Biography," Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. The book is published by the Press of Renmin University of China, 2015. A digital link can be found at https://book.douban.com/subject/26368926/.
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Ru Meditation: Gao Panlong(1562-1626 C.E) is an annotated translation of the major works of Gao Panlong on Ruist (Confucian) quiet-sitting. Its major themes include poetic descriptions of the meditative experience, practical guidelines,... more
Ru Meditation: Gao Panlong(1562-1626 C.E) is an annotated translation of the major works of Gao Panlong on Ruist (Confucian) quiet-sitting. Its major themes include poetic descriptions of the meditative experience, practical guidelines, philosophical reflections, and biographical accounts. The translation not only aims to facilitate an understanding of Gao Panlong's thoughts on quiet-sitting but, more importantly, it also hopes to serve as a practical guide for meditation in the Ruist manner. (The book has been published at Spring 2018, and can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Ru-Meditation-Panlong-1562-1626-C/dp/0999614029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531146846&sr=8-1&keywords=ru+meditation. or https://the-ru-store.com/products/ru-meditation-gao-panlong.)
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Dr. Bin Song, as the recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award at Washington College, delivered a speech “Liberal Arts as a Cosmopolitan Hope” that cites Aristotle, Confucius and Benjamin Franklin to champion the value of liberal arts... more
Dr. Bin Song, as the recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award at Washington College, delivered a speech “Liberal Arts as a Cosmopolitan Hope” that cites Aristotle, Confucius and Benjamin Franklin to champion the value of liberal arts education, at the ceremony of 2023 Fall convocation.
The video record of the speech can be found at https://binsong.live/2023/09/02/liberal-arts-as-a-cosmopolitan-hope/, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eYjptBj99Q.
The video record of the speech can be found at https://binsong.live/2023/09/02/liberal-arts-as-a-cosmopolitan-hope/, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eYjptBj99Q.
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An Invited Speech by the Annual Conference of the Academy for the Study of Religion at Jamaica, July 20, 2021. It introduces the history of Daoism in ancient China, and discusses Zhuangzi's idea of "forgetful filial piety" to address the... more
An Invited Speech by the Annual Conference of the Academy for the Study of Religion at Jamaica, July 20, 2021. It introduces the history of Daoism in ancient China, and discusses Zhuangzi's idea of "forgetful filial piety" to address the conference topic of "resistance to oppression."
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This is an invited speech by the Annual Conference of the Academy for the Study of Religion at Jamaica, July 20, 2021. It talks about the naming history of "Confucianism" in the context of post-colonialism, and in particular, how the... more
This is an invited speech by the Annual Conference of the Academy for the Study of Religion at Jamaica, July 20, 2021. It talks about the naming history of "Confucianism" in the context of post-colonialism, and in particular, how the philosophical concept of filiality and the story of Shun's filiality can resist "oppression" even among family members.
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How does a Ru (Confucianist) do Comparative Theology Today? My presentation is titled as "How Does a Ru (Confucianist) do Comparative Theology today," and it is a condensed paper based upon several of my recent publications which I... more
How does a Ru (Confucianist) do Comparative Theology Today?
My presentation is titled as "How Does a Ru (Confucianist) do Comparative Theology today," and it is a condensed paper based upon several of my recent publications which I listed in the poster, so for friends who are interested in the details of the presented thought, I'll feel humbled if you decide to go to read those publications! I will break down the question in the title into several minor ones, and try to answer each of them using brief and concise terms.
My presentation is titled as "How Does a Ru (Confucianist) do Comparative Theology today," and it is a condensed paper based upon several of my recent publications which I listed in the poster, so for friends who are interested in the details of the presented thought, I'll feel humbled if you decide to go to read those publications! I will break down the question in the title into several minor ones, and try to answer each of them using brief and concise terms.
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I present my understanding of my doctoral advisor Prof. Robert Neville's work on comparative theology and the Christian-Ru (Confucian) dialogue in Prof. Neville's retirement party at School of Theology of Boston University, on April 19th.... more
I present my understanding of my doctoral advisor Prof. Robert Neville's work on comparative theology and the Christian-Ru (Confucian) dialogue in Prof. Neville's retirement party at School of Theology of Boston University, on April 19th. The event's video can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0zP5rBeaE.
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This introductory course of Eastern religions aims to increase religious literacy on the philosophical, societal, and spiritual aspects of four major Eastern religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism (Ruism), and Daoism. While focusing... more
This introductory course of Eastern religions aims to increase religious literacy on the philosophical, societal, and spiritual aspects of four major Eastern religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism (Ruism), and Daoism. While focusing on the discussion of Eastern religions, historical and cultural distinctions of major Asian countries and areas, such as India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan, will also be studied.
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I add a significant section of "non-Western philosophy" to my intro to philo syllabus in 2019 Spring. Now the structure of the syllabus is also clearer: the beginning of Western philosophy, the beginning of non-Western philosophies... more
I add a significant section of "non-Western philosophy" to my intro to philo syllabus in 2019 Spring. Now the structure of the syllabus is also clearer: the beginning of Western philosophy, the beginning of non-Western philosophies (mainly Indian and Chinese), philosophy of science (natural science), hermeneutics (humanities), political philosophy (social science) and philosophy of religion (non-secular knowledge). Apart from critical thinking, cultural competence and inter-disciplinary perspective are the central skills that this course aims to nurture.
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I am exploring ways of teaching the Asian Ru (Confucian) tradition in an integrative method to cover (1) its historical development, (2) its spread in East Asia and interaction with Western cultures, (3) its multi-dimensional approach to... more
I am exploring ways of teaching the Asian Ru (Confucian) tradition in an integrative method to cover (1) its historical development, (2) its spread in East Asia and interaction with Western cultures, (3) its multi-dimensional approach to education: intelligence, emotions, will, body, and (4) its multi-dimensional content and import: philosophical, religious, spiritual, political, ethical, sociological. For this purpose, I design methods of test slightly different from traditional ones, including an oral examination in mid-term, weekly journal entry on moral self-cultivation and improvement, bodily demonstration of Ru spirituality, etc.
Research Interests:
A syllabus on Introduction to Philosophy including both Western and non-Western (Asian) materials. I am exploring 1) how to present philosophy as an integrative perspective of human knowledge and a holistic way of human life and 2) how to... more
A syllabus on Introduction to Philosophy including both Western and non-Western (Asian) materials. I am exploring 1) how to present philosophy as an integrative perspective of human knowledge and a holistic way of human life and 2) how to have students think, act and try to cultivate themselves during the course of philosophy education.
Research Interests:
How did the boundary between traditions come into being defined as "confessional," and subsequently, how does confessional theology come into existence at all? Therefore, at the outset of this paper, let us pose a genuinely Kantian... more
How did the boundary between traditions come into being defined as "confessional," and subsequently, how does confessional theology come into existence at all? Therefore, at the outset of this paper, let us pose a genuinely Kantian question: Given its predominant presence in current academia, how is confessional theology even possible?
Research Interests:
In line with Confucius' teaching — to be truly human, one must not simply acquiesce to one's teacher — I believe the finest homage to my mentor is threefold: first, to summarize his significant scholarly contributions; second, to express... more
In line with Confucius' teaching — to be truly human, one must not simply acquiesce to one's teacher — I believe the finest homage to my mentor is threefold: first, to summarize his significant scholarly contributions; second, to express my thoughts provoked and fostered by his guidance; and third, to identify the avenues for continued inquiry that future scholars ought to pursue. Specifically, I intend to argue how Dr. Berthrong can be spiritually categorized as a Confucian scholar, despite that he himself never explicitly identifies as such in his writings.