From Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 08:20am
To Friday, April 11, 2025 - 05:00pm
Contact Nancy Rosario (
Department of Religion is the main sponsor of this year's Rutgers Workshop on Chinese philosophy to be held in person on April 10-11, 2025. The workshop is co-directed by Tao Jiang (Rutgers Religion/Philosophy), Dean Zimmerman (Rutgers Philosophy), and Stephen Angle (Wesleyan Philosophy). The theme this year is "Moral Conflict in Early Chinese Philosophy." Scholars of early Chinese philosophy from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America will engage each other on this important topic. Everybody is welcome. Space is limited and RSVP is required. Click here to RSVP.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, April 10
8:20a.m. Breakfast (onsite)
8:50a.m. – 9:00a.m. Welcoming Remarks
Dean Zimmerman, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Acting Chair of Philosophy Department, Rutgers University
9:00a.m. – 10:00a.m. “Beyond the conflict of black and white: human agency in the Zhuangzi”
Presenter: Karyn Lai (University of New South Wales, Australia)
Moderator: Stephen Angle (Wesleyan University)
10:00a.m. – 11:00a.m. “Han Fei Zi’s Critique of the Harmony Thesis about Moral Conflicts”
Presenter: Tongdong Bai (Fudan University, China)
Moderator: Julianne Chung (York University, Canada)
11:00a.m. – 11:30a.m. tea break
11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. “Anger as Situational Knowledge: A Daoist Analysis of Anger, Social Injustice, and Agency”
Presenter: Ai YUAN (Tsinghua University, China)
Moderator: Dean Zimmerman (Rutgers University)
12:30p.m. – 2:00p.m. Lunch (onsite)
2:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. “Tweaking the Recipe: Harmony with Dissonance”
Presenter: Julianne Chung (York University, Canada)
Moderator: Alexander Guerrero (Rutgers University)
3:00p.m. – 3:30p.m. tea break
3:30p.m. – 4:30p.m. “When Moral Exemplars Cause Inner Moral Conflicts in Others”
Presenter: Jing Iris Hu (Concordia University, Canada)
Moderator: Eirik Lang Harris (Colorado State University)
4:30p.m. – 5:30p.m. “Dangerous Certainties: The Mozi on Moral Convictions”
Presenter: Hagop Sarkissian (City University of New York)
Moderator: Mercedes Valmisa (Gettysburg College)
6:00pm-8:00pm Dinner (invitation only)
Friday, April 11
8:20a.m. Breakfast (onsite)
9:00a.m. – 10:00a.m. “Harmony, Regret, and Temptation”
Presenter: Stephen Angle (Wesleyan University)
Moderator: Wenqing Zhao (City University of New York)
10:00a.m. – 11:00a.m. “Weighing (quan) in early Confucian philosophy”
Presenter: Dawid Rogacz (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland)
Moderator: Karyn Lai (University of New South Wales, Australia)
11:00a.m. – 11:30a.m. tea break
11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m. “Harmonization as Self-Organization”
Presenter: Mercedes Valmisa (Gettysburg College)
Moderator: Hagop Sarkissian (City University of New York)
12:30p.m. – 2:00p.m. Lunch (onsite)
2:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. “Upright Gong and the Inescapability(?) of Moral Conflict in Classical Confucianism–A View from the Xunzi”
Presenter: Eirik Lang Harris (Colorado State University)
Moderator: Jing Iris HU (Concordia University, Canada)
3:00p.m. – 3:30p.m. tea break
3:30p.m. – 4:30p.m. “Affording Wandering”
Presenter: Wenqing Zhao (City University of New York)
Moderator: Tao Jiang (Rutgers University)
4:30p.m. – 5:00p.m. General discussion about the publication plan
5:30pm-7:30pm Dinner (invitation only)
FAQs
1. Where can I park?
Park in Parking Lot 37 right behind New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Use Bishop Pl and take the 2nd turn on the right to enter the parking lot.
2. How can I get to the event on public transportation?
Take the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line to New Brunswick (njtransit.com). Make sure the train stops at New Brunswick as some might skip it during rush hours.
The conference room is in the New Brunswick Theological Seminary (College Ave/Seminary Pl).