Chinese Thought
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science - Part 2
This course is designed to give students a thorough introduction to early (pre-221 BCE) Chinese thought, its contemporary implications, and the role of religion in human well-being. Important themes to be discussed include the ideal of wu-wei or “effortless action,” the paradox of how one can consciously try not to try, mindfulness techniques and self-cultivation, models of the self and society, rationality versus emotions, trust and human cooperation, and the structure and impact of different spiritual and political ideals.
This period of Chinese history witnessed the formation of all of the major indigenous schools of Chinese thought (Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism and Legalism), which in turn had an impact on the development of East Asian cultural history that is still felt today. We will also explore parallels with Western philosophical and religious traditions, the relevance of early Chinese thought for contemporary debates in ethics, moral education, and political philosophy, and the manner in which early Chinese models of the self anticipate recent developments in the evolutionary and cognitive sciences.
This course provides a full university semester’s worth of material broken into two parts. Each part of the course will last five weeks with a week-long break in between. For each part, there will be four weeks worth of new material. The fifth week will be reserved for review and completion of the final exam.
Part 2 builds upon Part 1 by exploring late Warring States thinkers such as the Confucian Mencius, the Daoist Zhuangzi, and the return to externalism in the form of Xunzi—who believed Mencius betrayed the original Confucian vision—and his former student Hanfeizi, a “Legalist” thinker who helped lay the foundations for the autocratic system that unified the Warring States into China’s first empire. We will conclude with some reflections on what it means to study religious thought, and the thought of other cultures, in a modern, globalized world. Part 2 can be taken as a stand-alone course, but will be more comprehensible and rewarding with the background provided in Part 1.
See also: Chinese Thought: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science - Part 1
What you'll learn
- Later developments in Confucianism and Daoism
- Legalism and the origins of the imperial Chinese state
- How to analyze philosophical and religious arguments and debates
- Alternative models of ethics, the self, and the individual-society relationship
- The universality and contemporary relevance of basic ethical dilemmas
- The power of spontaneity, and the tensions involved in attaining it
- Religion or spirituality and the role of meaning in human well-being
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Rating | 4.9★ based on 10 ratings |
---|---|
Length | 5 weeks |
Effort | 5 weeks, 4–6 hours per week |
Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
Cost | $49 |
From | University of British Columbia, UBCx via edX |
Instructor | Edward Slingerland |
Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
Language | English |
Subjects | Humanities Art & Design |
Tags | Art & Culture Humanities Philosophy & Ethics |
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What people are saying
comprehensive further reading lists
There were also comprehensive further reading lists and links provided.
fit into western concepts
Professor Slingerland and his team managed to lead the students to a great understanding of how ancient philosophers and schools of thought built the very fundament for China and Asia today, and how modern science shows that they fit into Western concepts as well.
made arcane texts accessible
The videos were excellent, very well produced with good graphics, Prof. Slingerland made arcane texts accessible, understandable and relevant to the modern world.
chinese scholarship offered here
I have no basis to judge the Chinese scholarship offered here.
complicated things simple without
I loved its depth and the breadth: making complicated things simple without dumbing them down.
fascinating resonances with contemporary
But the content would be still more riveting (from my perspective) if it explored a few of the fascinating resonances with contemporary management thinking (such as Tom Malone on Collective Intelligence, Ed Schein on Culture, John van Maanen on Organizational Socialization, Donald Schön on Reflective Practice, Pearce and Littlejohn on Moral Conflict, and so on).
john van maanen
contemporary management thinking
exactly 100 pages
This course was challenging in that a lot of material was covered (I have exactly 100 pages of notes!)
warring states chinese
I came out the course with a strong understanding in Warring States Chinese philosophical thought and how this relates to our modern understanding of science and psychology.
asia today
collective intelligence
Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.
Lecturer in Chinese $42k
Guest Chinese Teacher $44k
Chinese Studies Instructor $45k
Teacher (Mandarin Chinese) $49k
Chinese Content Writer $50k
Mandarin Chinese Interpreter $56k
Lecturer of Chinese Language $56k
Owner Chinese Teacher $61k
IT Specialist (Bilingual Chinese) $67k
Assistant Chinese Tutor $71k
Chinese Localization Specialist $93k
Assistant Chinese Instructor $118k
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Rating | 4.9★ based on 10 ratings |
---|---|
Length | 5 weeks |
Effort | 5 weeks, 4–6 hours per week |
Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
Cost | $49 |
From | University of British Columbia, UBCx via edX |
Instructor | Edward Slingerland |
Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
Language | English |
Subjects | Humanities Art & Design |
Tags | Art & Culture Humanities Philosophy & Ethics |
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