Fate and Destiny in Confucian Self-Cultivation

16th - 17th July 2014

Convenors:

Location

KHC Seminar Room, Building D1
Hartmannstraße 14,
91052 Erlangen


This workshop examines how Confucian thinkers developed a theory of self-cultivation to address human anxiety about fate and destiny. The workshop participants will compare the notions of self-cultivation in Classical Confucianism of the ancient period, Neo-Confucianism of the late imperial period, and modern Confucianism of contemporary times. The goal of this comparison is to determine the uniqueness of Confucianism vis-à-vis other intellectual systems, such as Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity.

Programme

Wednesday July 16, 2014

9:00 a.m. Welcome Address (Thomas Fröhlich, Hon Tze-ki)

Session 1: Classical Confucianism
Chair: Hon Tze-ki (State University of New York at Geneseo, IKGF Visiting Fellow)
9:15 a.m. Moral Fortuity and Proper Destiny in Early Confucian Ethics
Yuet Keung Lo (Singapore National University)
10:00 a.m. The Uncrowned King and his Prophecy: Confucius and the Making of Dynastic Fate in the First Century CE China
Zhao Lu (University of Pennsylvania, IKGF Visiting Fellow)
10:45 a.m. Coffee break
11:15 a.m. Discussion
12:15 p.m. Lunch

Session 2: Neo-Confucianism & Modern Confucianism
Chair: Robert LaFleur (Beloit College)
2:00 p.m. Hexagrams for Self-Cultivation: Zhu Xi’s Philosophy of Divination
Hon Tze-ki (State University of New York at Geneseo, IKGF Visiting Fellow)
2:45 p.m. Can Confucianism Save the World? Reflections on Confucian Politics and Destiny
Joseph Chan (University of Hong Kong)
3:30 p.m. Coffee break
4:00 p.m. The Realization of the Unpredictable: Tang Junyi on Self-Cultivation
Thomas Fröhlich (Hamburg Unviersity, IKGF Affiliate)
4:45 p.m. Discussion
6:00 p.m. End of 1st day

Thursday July 17, 2014


Open Forum
Chair: Tze-ki Hon
10:00 a.m. Self-cultivation in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
11:30 a.m. End of workshop

International Consortium for Research in the Humanities

"Fate, Freedom and Prognostication. Strategies for Coping with the Future in East Asia and Europe."

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Hartmannstr. 14
91052 Erlangen
Telefon: +49 (0)9131 85 - 64340
Fax: +49 (0)9131 85 - 64360
E-Mail: Petra.Hahm@ikgf.uni-erlangen.de