Join us for an engaging lecture by Professor Scott Cook of Yale-NUS College. He will uncover new insights into Confucius's teachings through recently discovered Warring States manuscripts. Explore rare texts and gain a deeper understanding of ancient ethical debates among Confucius's followers.
New insights into Confucian thought
Are you fascinated by Chinese philosophy and history? Discover new perspectives on Confucius's teachings at a guest lecture by Professor Scott Cook of Yale-NUS College, an expert in early Chinese intellectual history. Professor Cook will explore the Warring States bamboo manuscripts that shed new light on Confucius's teachings.
The following abstract offers an overview of the lecture:
Among recently unearthed Warring States bamboo manuscripts—in particular the grave-looted manuscripts of Chu purchased by the Shanghai Museum 上博楚簡—there are a number of texts in which we find Kong Zi, Confucius, portrayed in dialogue with important ministers and disciples, each offering, in contrast to what we find in the Lunyu 論語 (Analects), relatively sustained discourse on some aspect of ethical governance. While not necessarily revealing anything about the historical Kong Zi himself, these texts nonetheless give us interesting glimpses into what was likely being debated by his followers in the 4th Century BCE. Focusing on such manuscript texts as “Kong Zi Had Audience with Ji Huanzi” 孔子見季桓子, “Ji Kangzi Asked Kong Zi” 季康子問 於孔子, and “Zigao” 子羔, this talk will present a new reading of each text and discuss what each may have to offer in terms of better understanding the evolving debates in which the followers of Confucius were involved over the course of the Warring States period.
The lecture will be conducted in English.
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Opening and Guest Speaker Introduction
Marcin Jacoby, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Head of the East Asian Civilization Research Center
Małgorzata Religa, Ph.D., Chair of The Chinese Language Department of the University of Warsaw
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A New Kong Zi in Old Clothing: A Selected Look at the Shanghai Museum Confucian Dialogue Manuscripts
Professor Scott Cook, Yale-NUS College
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Q&A Session, Discussion, and Closing Remarks
Guest speaker
Scott Cook
Professor
Scott Cook is the Tan Chin Tuan Professor in the Department of Chinese Studies at Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore. He earned his Ph.D. in Chinese from the University of Michigan in 1995 and specializes in pre-imperial manuscript studies and early Chinese intellectual history. Professor Cook is the author of several major works, including The Bamboo Texts of Guodian: A Study and Complete Translation, vols. 1-2 (Cornell East Asia Series, 2012); The Pre-Imperial Confucian Texts of Guodian: Broad and Focused Perspectives (Taiwan Xuesheng Shuju, 2006); A Multi-Perspective Survey of Lost Warring States Texts among the Shanghai Museum and Other Chu Manuscripts (Shanghai: Zhongxi Shuju, 2018); and A Study of Recorded Conversations of Confucius Texts among the Shanghai Museum Manuscripts (Shanghai: Zhongxi Shuju, 2021). He also edited Hiding the World in the World: Uneven Discourses on the Zhuangzi (SUNY Press, 2003) and has authored over 80 articles in both English and Chinese.
Organizers
Contact
Marcin Jacoby, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Date and Location
September 24, 2024, 18:00–19:30 CEST (UTC+2)
SWPS University in Warsaw, Chodakowska 19/31, room S204