History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China Peter Adamson, Jonardon Ganeri, Chike Jeffers

An introduction to Kongzi, the founder of Confucianism, and to the text that has come to represent his thought, the Lunyu (Analects).

In this interview, we learn how newly discovered texts are changing our understanding of Warring States period philosophy.

What were ancient Chinese philosophical texts written on? How did writing relate to orally transmitted wisdom? How were texts read and used? And what even counted as a “text” in ancient China?

The historical context of classical Chinese philosophy, and how ancient Chinese historical works themselves became works of philosophy.

Co-host Karyn introduces herself to the listeners and talks about the challenges of tackling classical Chinese philosophical texts.

Early Chinese philosophers were deeply aware of a world that is constantly changing: we look at how Confucians, Legalists, and Daoists responded to this challenge.