ISEAP 2023 Program

Table of Contents
Venues 3
Organizing Committee & Team 3
Conference Program
Day 1 (September 15, 2023) 4
Day 2 (September 16, 2023) 7
Abstracts
Keynote Speeches 9
Individual Papers and Organized Panels
Session 1 10
Session 2 12
Session 3 14
Session 4 16
Session 5 18
Session 6 20
Session 7 22
Session 8 24
Session 9 26
Session 10 28
Session 11 30
Session 12 32
Session 13 33
Session 14 35
Session 15 37
Session 16 39
Session 17 41
Session 18 43
Session 19 45
Session 20 47
Session 21 49
Session 22 51
Session 23 52
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Venues
40 George Square (formerly known as the David Hume tower)
Address: University of Edinburgh, 40 George Square, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9JU, UK
https://g.co/kgs/aAbttx
Registration, Keynote Speech and Roundtable discussion: Lower Ground Floor LG.09
Parallel Sessions: Lower Ground Floor LG.06/ LG.08/ LG.11
Organizing Committee & Team

Chair of the Organizing Committee ISEAP Conference 2023
Masato GODA
Management Committee Member of ISEAP

Yuko ISHIHARA
Takeshi MORISATO
Yosuke TAKEHANA
Yi CHEN
Organizing Team (Doctoral students of the University of Edinburgh)

You can talk to the organizing team members if you have any question. They will be happy to help!
Farhad Alavi
Tingjiang Kuang
Ellie Palmer
Boxiang Yu
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Conference Program
Day 1 (September 15, 2023 Friday)
Registration 08:30-09:00 (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)
Opening Remarks
09:00-09:10 (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)
Speaker: Michael GILL (Head of Philosophy Department, The University of Edinburgh)
Moderator: Yuko ISHIHARA (Management Committee Member of ISEAP and Associate Professor, College of Global Liberal Arts,
Ritsumeikan University)
Keynote Speech 1
Making More Sense: Reclaiming the Human Through Chinese Philosophy and Hermeneutics
Speaker: Geir Sigurðsson (Head of Faculty/Professor and Head of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Languages and Cultures, University of
Iceland)
Reception 10:10-10:40
Room 1 (Lower Ground Floor LG.06) Room 2 (Lower Ground Floor LG.08) Room 3 (Lower Ground Floor LG.11)
Session 1 (10:40-12:10) Session 2 (10:40-12:10) Session 3 (10:40-12:10)

Moderator: Maki SATO Moderator: Farhad Alavi Moderator: Gregory S. MOSS
Art that Wanders in the Mundane: TAN Teck Nothingness but rhythm----Nishida Bruce Lee and Philosophy
Soon and Zhuangian Aesthetics in the and Levinas— CHU Ming Hon(The Chinese University of
Colonial Strait Masato GODA (Meiji University) Hong Kong)Online
Lilith W. LEE(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
The Sense of Someone Appearing Chang Tung-sheng's Philosophy of
What a Machine doesn’t have…. There: A Phenomenological Analysis of Education
Nilambar Chakrabarti(Jadavpur University) the Appearance of an Animated Yuting Jia(University of Strathclyde)
Online Persona
Masahiro MORIOKA(Waseda A Dialectic of Heaven and Man: A
Transience and Imperfection: The Wabi-Sabi University) Conversation between Yijing and Hegel
Aesthetic (侘寂) and the Value of Fangyang Xie(University of Warwick)
Impermanence in Human Thinking Two Ways of Overcoming Hegel:
Amartaya Gupta(St. Stephen’s Dialectical Logic of Tanabe Hajime and
College)Online Park Chonghong
KWAK Minseok (Kyoto University)
Lunch Break (12:10-13:20)
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Moderator: Yi CHEN Moderator: Yuko ISHIHARA Moderator: Masato GODA
World-picture, environment and the end of The Evolution of 'Changxingxing(常惺 Why Do Sages Have Emotions——
philosophy between Heidegger and Nishida 惺)' from Chan Buddhism to Song- Focusing on the Prototype of Sages in
Dario Vuger, PhD (Museum of Fine Arts, Ming Neo-Confucianism: A Conceptual Wei-Jin Metaphysics
Osijek) Online Analysis JIANG Fan(Ghent University)
ZHANG Honghu (Shandong
Nishitani's Reflection on Technology in the University) Online The interface between Fideism and new
Age of Artificially Generated Philosophy atheism in the Context of Fictionalism: A
Artur GROMADZKI(Kyoto University)Online Comparative Analysis on Buddhism Study in Asian Religious Traditions
and Confucianism Chandana Deka(SRM University)
“Basho” before Basho: The genesis of the Maki SATO(The University of Tokyo)
topology of Nishida Kitarō Between expressing and regulating: poets,
Felipe Ferrari Gonçalves(Yokkaichi The Korean neo-Confucian Ideal of sages and rulers working with emotions
University)Online Pluralism and Han Václav VALTR(Charles University)
Hyeon Sop BAEK(University of Hawai‘i
at Manoa)Online
Break (14:50-15:00)

Moderator: Takeshi MORISATO Moderator: Lorenzo Marinucci Moderator: Yosuke TAKEHANA
Hanfeizi and Confucianism: focusing on What kind of knowledge does Dao 道 Three philosophers on the Japanese
loyalty and filial piety refer to? : Discussing its meaning in notion of virtue: comparing the
Hyunmo Park(National Taiwan University) the Gui Gu Zi 鬼谷子 experiences of Nishimura, Miki, and
CARAMES SANCHEZ, Javier(National Watsuji
Performing humanness: the significance of Taiwan University) Online Koji TACHIBANA(Chiba University)
ritual
Martyna ŚWIĄTCZAK-BOROWY(University of The Triptych of Human Existence: Life, Nishitani and Nietzsche on the Ethics of
Warsaw) Desire, and Death in Lu’s Spring and Sympathy
Autumn Annals Gerald Nelson Jr.(Pennsylvania State
Fashion and the Golden Mean: Li Yu’s self- LEE, Kwai Sang(The Education University)
fashioning during the Ming-Qing dynastic University of Hong Kong)
transition Listening without a Listener –
Yue Zhang(The University of Auckland) Xunzi’s Notion of Yu understanding the experience of listening
Yalin ZHOU(Nanyang Technological to music and the self through Nishitani
Fine-Tuning or Embedding: The Strategies of University) Keiji’s philosophy of Emptiness
Yan Fu and Chen Huanzhang’s Confucianism
Anttoni KUUSELA (University of Jyväskylä)
to Adapt to Spontaneous Order The place of truth in Qu Yuan’s “The
Xinran WANG 王信然(Sun Yat-sen Fisherman” On the Idea of Sincerity 誠 in Japanese
University, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) RZANNA Ewa(Institute for Study and Philosophy-Focusing on the Case of Yokoi
Documentation of Literature)Online Shōnan-
Kosuke IKEGAMI(Tokyo University of
Foreign Studies)
Break (17:00-17:10)
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Moderator: Davide Andrea ZAPPULLI Moderator: Li Yang Moderator: Ellie Palmer
Organized Panel: Creativity, Play, and Organized Panel: ChatGPT Cannot Does a sound have Buddha-Nature?-
Daoism Online Replace Chinese Philosophy: The Kegon thought and the aesthetics of
Wisdom of Oriental Philosophy to sound
Nothing Compares 2 U: Contradiction and Avoid War and Seek Peace [Bizhan Daryl Jamieson(Kyushu University)
Illumination of the Obvious Qiuhe 避戰求和]
Julianne CHUNG (York University) The Poet Monk Taixu: An Image
To what extent did Confucianism Philosophical Analysis of “Wine and Tea”
The Power of Images:The Zhuangzi’s influence Li Hongzhang's [李鴻章] in His Poetry
Demonstration of the Ideal of Playfulness idea of “cementing relations with Xiaoxiao XU(Ghent University)
HUANG Shih-Han (Duke University) Western countries” [Herong 和戎]
diplomacy in the late Qing Dynasty?
Two Kinds of Transformational Creativity in Li Yang (Ghent University, [Panel
Daoist Philosophy Chair])
Davide Andrea ZAPPULLI (Chair) (University
of British Columbia) Reflections on the Pre-Qin [Xian’qin 先
秦] from 551 BC to 479 BC Eclectics
[Za’jia 雜家] from the Perspective of
Axiology
Zhou Biwan(Joint PhD degree by
Nanjing University and Ghent
University)
Reconstruction of the “under Heaven”

[Tianxia 天下] Nature of the “great
unity” [Datong 大同] Theory in
Modern Times: Centering on the
Theoretical Explorations of Liao Ping
[廖平], Kang Youwei [康有為], and
Shen Aisun [沈艾孫]
Li Mingyu (Ghent University)
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Day 2 (September 16, 2023 Saturday)
Keynote Speech 2
Acceptance of “Aesthetics” in East Asia and Its Philosophical Prospects
Speaker: PARK So Jeong (Director of KAEP (K-Academic Expansion Center), Professor of Korean Philosophy program, Sungkyunkwan
University)
Moderator: Takeshi MORISATO (Management Committee Member of ISEAP and Lecturer in Non-Western Philosophy, The
University of Edinburgh)
Break 10:00-10:10
Room 1 (Lower Ground Floor LG.06) Room 2 (Lower Ground Floor LG.08) Room 3 (Lower Ground Floor LG.11)
Moderator: LAM Wing Keung Moderator: Fion WU Moderator: Dennis PROOI
Organized Panel: Virtue Ethics in East Dao of AI Seeing something as something else: The
Asian Philosophies Monica VON BRECHT(Institute for Logic of Mitate
The Internal Principle of Virtue: Towards Doctoral Studies in Visual Arts) Lorenzo Marinucci(Tohoku University)
Mengzian Virtue Ethics
Dobin CHOI (Leiden University) The abuse of power and the undermining The line of the heart: calligraphy and
of nature: the origins of the discourse aesthesis
Watsuji’s ethics as a role theory: With a against "cleverness" 智 in "Zhuangzi" Helen Magowan(University of
focus on his connection with virtue ethics FĂT MIHAI IONUŢ(Independent, PhD Cambridge)
Yosuke TAKEHANA (Fukuoka University) (Peking University) )
Picture as a Symbol of the Unfathomable.
Does Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics have the Wuwei 無為 in the Zhuangzi: A Way to a A Comparative Analysis of the Aesthetics
Problem of Indirection? Unique Human Experience of Johann Goethe (1749-1832) and Shen
Ellie Hua WANG (National Chengchi Andreas KERSCHBAUM (Humboldt ZongQian (1736-1820)
University) University of Berlin) Aleksandra Czarny(Adam Mickiewicz
University)
Harmony of Feelings: On Nishida Kitaro’s
Feeling-to Approach to the Good
LAM Wing Keung (Dokkyo University)
(Chair)
Lunch Break (11:50-13:00)
Moderator: Tingjiang Kuang Moderator: LAM Wing Keung Moderator: Daryl Jamieson
A Confucian Democracy: Joshua Wen- The World of Things: Wang Fuzhi’s The Similar Roles of Debate and
Kwei Liao’s (1905–1952) Intellectual Critique of ‘Heresies’ and the Inner Paradoxical Language in Buddhist
Itinerary from Moral Propagation to Tension of Confucianism Philosophy
State-building Xiaozhou Zou(Ghent University) CHAN Chu Kwan(University of Hamburgz)
Kuan-Wei WU(Ruhr-Universität Bochum) Online
儒家思想对伊斯兰教的影响——以明清
Incarnation and the Unity of Heaven and 时期回儒的著作为例 Zhang Taiyan’s Asianism Based on
Humans: Zia Nai-zin’s Christian The influence of Confucianism on Islam— Yogacara Buddhism: Beyond AI’s
Reinterpretation of Zhongyong —Taking the writings of Huiru in the Ming comprehension
Andrew Ka Pok Tam(University of and Qing Dynasties as an example Prakriti MUKHERJEE(The University of
Glasgow) MAIHEMUTI MAIRIPAITI (KU Leuven) Macau)
Addressing Online Political Polarization Reshaping Confucian Ritualism in Modern Buddhist Various Interpretations of
through a Confucian Perspective China: Zhang Taiyan’s Philosophical Dream
Joseph Emmanuel STA. MARIA (Delft Interpretation on Ritual (li, 禮) Seongho Choi(Leipzig University)
University of Technology (TU Delft)) PARK Woohui(University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign)
Break (14:30-14:40)
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Moderator: Yuko ISHIHARA Moderator: Yi CHEN Moderator: Boxiang Yu
The land of immortals in Chinese art of The Role of Creativity in Confucian Apelletic Agency: Explicating the
the 20th and 21st century Philosophy Pyrrhonist’s Ataraxia with Zhuangzi
Klaudia ĎURAJKOVÁ(Palacky Gloria LUQUE MOYA(University of Matthew DuPree(Florida State
University)Online Málaga)Online University)Online
How Art as Experience Renders this Yi and He: The Two Walkings of the Lao Zi’s Dao and Logical Negation
World Real: Exploring Image Formation Confucian Aesthetic Order Sabrina Hao(University of Pittsburgh,
Principles in 17th Century Chinese Zhen Liang(Sweet Briar College)Online United States)Online
Aesthetic Theories and Artistic Practice
Polina LUKICHEVA(University of Zurich) The Role of Philosophy in Economic Mystical Experience of Music in Xi Kang
Advancement: A Reflection from the Dawid ROGACZ(Adam Mickiewicz
Expressing the Inexpressible: Asian Perspectives of Holistics with Some University,)
Aesthetics and Madhubani Folk- Art References to R. M. Martin’s Models of
Swasti Alpana(University of Delhi) Systematic Semiotics
Victor Lux Tonn(Salve Regina University)
Online
Break (16:10-16:20)
Session 22 (16:20-17:20) Session 23 (16:20-17:20)
Moderator: Dennis PROOI Moderator: Yi CHEN
Organized Panel: Absolute Dialetheism in Benevolence as a Path: Revealing Human
the Kyoto School and its Precursors Uniqueness in the Potential Relationship
with Artificial Intelligence
Kiyozawa Manshi’s Absolute Dialetheism Shiqi CAI(University of Edinburgh),
Dennis PROOI (Chair: The Hong Kong Chuxuan ZHANG(University of Edinburgh)
University of Science and Technology) [joint paper]
From Nishida’s Logic of Paradox to The death of the author? Japan’s AI quest
Nishitani’s Mysticism of power and the copyright dilemma
Gregory S. MOSS (The Chinese University Montserrat CRESPÍN PERALES(University
of Hong Kong) of Barcelona) Online
Break (17:20-17:30)
Roundtable Discussion (17:30-18:30) (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)

Closing Remarks (18:30-18:40) (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)

Speaker: Masato GODA (Chair of the Organizing Committee ISEAP Conference 2023 and Professor, School of Arts and Letters, Meiji
University)
Moderator: Takeshi MORISATO (Management Committee Member of ISEAP and Lecturer in Non-Western Philosophy, The
University of Edinburgh)
Farewell Dinner (19:45-21:45)
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Abstracts
Keynote Speeches
Day 1(9:10-10:10)
Making More Sense: Reclaiming the Human Through Chinese Philosophy and Hermeneutics
Professor Geir Sigurðsson (Head of Faculty/Professor and Head of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Languages
and Cultures, University of Iceland)
Abstract: The digital revolution that took off around three decades ago has literally transformed human lives, especially
(but not only) in post-industrial societies. It has certainly made a number of tasks easier and facilitated communication
across the globe. However, it has also produced new and unprecedented dangers and uncertainties to which we often
do not know how to respond, the latest one being AI and its impact on contemporary societies. Moreover, the
enormous speed of digital technological development surpasses the human ability to adapt and find the most adequate
ways to make use of it to the best interest of humanity. We still do not know its pedagogical impact on the next
generation – those who were born into digital technology and have been making use of it since their early years. It is
beyond doubt that the members of our youngest generations tend to have deteriorated in social skills and linguistic
ability, but we do not know yet whether this is merely a loss that will be complemented with other skills, parallel to the
introduction of printing that led to the lack of ability to memorize strings of words and numbers.
In academia across the globe, the humanities are currently under attack for being outdated and even next to useless
in a contemporary digital world where AI can compose, correct, and translate texts. In this paper, I want to argue that
it is precisely the contrary: that humanities have never in human history been as important as right now. We need to
reclaim humanity in a world largely dominated by algorithm and artificial intelligence that operates under the exclusive
instrumental rationality of efficiency. Such reclamation requires a reorganization of our educational systems that
places particular emphasis on the ability to develop feeling or sense of the human – which may precisely describe the
limits of the ability of digital technologies. I will discuss potential resources in Chinese (Daoist and Confucian) and
continental European philosophy that I believe can serve as inspiration for reconstructing and enhancing the exclusive
human (while not unrelated to animal) ability of having “sense” – the fundamental understanding of “aesthetics”.
Day 2(9:00-10:00)
Acceptance of “Aesthetics” in East Asia and Its Philosophical Prospects
Professor SoJeong Park (Director of KAEP (K-Academic Expansion Center), Professor of Korean Philosophy
program, Sungkyunkwan University)
Abstract:
“Aesthetics,” which was born as a field of philosophy in modern times, was given a limited role in the Western
intellectual tradition, but received enthusiastic welcome and full acceptance as it encountered the East Asian
intellectual tradition. If cultural movements called “Aesthetics Fever” have repeatedly occurred over the past half
century, national universities of Japan and Korea still maintain departments exclusively dedicated to aesthetics as an
independent discipline, which are just only a few in the world. What made East Asian intellectuals so fascinated by
"aesthetics"?
East Asian intellectuals’ profound sympathy for the study of "aesthetics" is related to the harmonious union of
rationality and sensibility embedded in their philosophical tradition. This can be understood as the response of the
East Asian philosophical tradition to the unfinished task raised by Western modern philosophy, and furthermore, it
suggests the need to reevaluate East Asian aesthetic concepts and art works without being bound by the framework
of the existing Western aesthetics.
This article delves into a comparative analysis of the underlying conceptual metaphors used in discussions about
Western and East Asian artworks. Through this examination, it becomes evident that the aesthetic ideals of East Asia
persist not only the traditional era but also in the modern age. To illustrate this continuity, several examples from
contemporary artwork, specifically drawn from the vibrant art scenes in Korea, will be expounded upon. These
examples will shed light on how East Asian aesthetic principles endures and remains influential in today’s artistic
expressions.
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Abstracts
Individual Papers and Organized Panels
Day 1 Session 1
◾ Art that Wanders in the Mundane: TAN Teck Soon and Zhuangian Aesthetics in the Colonial Strait
Lilith W. LEE(Department of Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
TAN Teck Soon (1859–1922) was an intellectual and reformer in the British-administered Straits Settlements,
being also a co-founder and one of two ‘Asiatic’ members of the Straits Philosophical Society. A Straits-born
Chinese person who received an anglophone sinology education at British Amoy (Xiamen) and who championed
cosmopolitanism at imperial peripheries, TAN should be of unique interest to scholars of anti-colonial, Sinophone,
and world philosophies. Unfortunately reclusive, TAN has been hitherto neglected in scholarship and annals more
generally. What paltry attention on TAN focuses on political and literary issues circumscribed by his British
interlocutors (JOSE 2010, DORAN 2012, FERMANIS 2021).
Path-breaking scholarship, however, is currently being undertaken to present TAN’s thought as not merely
reactionary but hybridising Anglo-European and Sinophone philosophical traditions (WILSON and LAI 2021). From
TAN’s comments on the literary and visual arts in the Straits Chinese Magazine and archives of the Society, I
seek here to develop such scholarship by reconstructing TAN’s aesthetic thought, centring his fondness for the
Zhuangzi: it offers him a means to diagnose the denigration of Chinese art (at least in Singapore) as well as
propose its cure. This denigration, accordingly, is produced by the one-sidedness and “mechanical heart [jīxīn,
trans. Ziporyn]” of not only colonial fetishisation but also a burgeoning Confucian revivalism then. Instead, TAN
turns to Zhuangian curative emphases on ‘broad-spiritedness’ and transformative adaptivity, tracing in East
Asian art history the possibility of a wandering aesthetic sensibility appropriate for “Humanity rather than
Nationality” that remains responsive to historical and material circumstances.
Research Interests: Lilith LEE attends to the uses (and abuses) of the history of philosophy—particularly of
middle to late Warring States Chinese philosophy—for socio-political life. She attends to the history of
philosophy as it was used in the past, such as by Han Feizi at the end of Warring States China (Monist 2022)
or by Straits Chinese thinkers in 19 -century British Malaya; as well as how it may be used in the present, such
th
as in assessing the appropriability of early Confucianism for totalitarian projects (Philosophy East & West
2021)—vis-à-vis attempts to democratise Confucianism—or in attempting to rehabilitate the concept of false
consciousness either via 19th-century British suffragist discourse (Journal of Social Ontology 2021; Hypatia
2021) or via the Zhuangzi (forthcoming with Sinica Leidensia).
◾ What a Machine doesn’t have….

Nilambar Chakrabarti(Ph.D. Research Scholar, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India)
In the beginning of the 21st century, artificial intelligence has entered the domain of aesthetics. It has been used
increasingly to produce various artworks, music, designs and literary pieces. For instance, in 2016 a deep
learning algorithm was taught to learn Rembrandt’s style of painting. That deep learning algorithm took 346
pictures of Rembrandt just to understand his artistic style. And after that, it generated a picture which was exactly
looking like a real Rembrandt painting. It seems that a deep learning algorithm is capable of producing an
innovative piece of art which is aesthetically enriched. But we need to remember, AI can produce a new form of
art just by analyzing various other art forms which is nothing but a complex reproduction of existing art patterns.
The purpose of aesthetics is not solely restricted to generating new or creative styles of art and artistic
expressions, it deals with human emotions and lived experiences. A mere piece of art becomes aesthetically
valuable when it conveys the presence of an individual. When Rembrandt draws his self-portrait, he simply does
not want to sketch an outline of his own, he wants to express himself. But if today AI has to draw a self-portrait
of an individual, it will generate a perfect portrait, yet the portrait will be devoid of that human touch by which an
artist expresses himself. That’s why both Indian and East Asian Philosophy have envisioned art, aesthetics, and
artistic expressions from a humancentric perspective. In this paper, I shall argue against the AI-based aesthetical
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discourse with the help of the methodologies given by Indian and East Asian Philosophers. I shall also try to
explore the nature of aesthetical ownership, which fortunately a machine lacks.
Keywords: Artistic expression, Lived experiences, Human touch, Aesthetical ownership
◾ Transience and Imperfection: The Wabi-Sabi Aesthetic (侘寂) and the Value of Impermanence in
Human Thinking
Amartaya Gupta(Department of Sanskrit, St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi, India)
This paper explores the aesthetic dimensions of wabi-sabi (侘寂), a central concept in Japanese culture
celebrating the beauty found in imperfection, transience, and the passage of time. Wabi-sabi is an understated
beauty that exists in the modest, rustic, imperfect, or even decayed, an aesthetic sensibility that finds a
melancholic beauty in the impermanence of all things. Through an exploration of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise
of Shadows (陰翳礼讃), which emphasizes mindfulness and the recognition of impermanence, we challenge the
ideal of perfection pursued by AI, shedding light on the limitations of mechanistic anthropocentric thinking and
the value of embracing the evolving nature of human thought. While some may criticize Tanizaki’s anti-modernist
perspective as “reactionary” or “nationalist,” it actually offers a contemporary interpretation of an ancient
aesthetic concept. Drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism (禪宗) and traditional arts like tea ceremony (茶道)
and pottery (陶芸), we explore how the appreciation of impermanence and the acceptance of imperfection reflect
the complexities and uniqueness of human cognition. I will also delve into the comparison between wabi-sabi
and Nietzsche’s embrace of the “Dionysian” in The Birth of Tragedy. Both perspectives recognize the aesthetic
significance of embracing the chaotic and primordial forces inherent in existence, and I will explore this parallel
within my analysis. By scrutinizing the mechanistic nature of artificial intelligence, we uncover its algorithmic
determinism and reductionist approach, revealing its inherent limitation in grasping imperfections that define the
beauty and richness of human thought.
Research Interests:Nyaya logic and ontology, Analytic philosophy, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Advaita
Vedanta philosophy, Jain philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism,
Comparative philosophy, Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of religion, Ethics and moral philosophy, Philosophy of
logic, Philosophy of culture and Philosophy of technology.
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Day 1 Session 2
◾ Nothingness but rhythm----Nishida and Levinas—

Masato GODA(Meiji University)
Nishida loved the sea so deeply. In a letter addressed to Hajime Tanabe (August 4, 1921), Nishida
comforted very tired Tanabe and recommended him a rest. ‘‘You had better wander the mountains and the sea
as if you were totally blurred. You have to prepare yourself for such a foolish vacuity. As for me, I love the sea
very much. I don’t get tired of looking at the sea all day long. The waves are nothing but movements of the infinite
itself.’’ Wave is different from flow ; it’s rather a continuous process of forming, deforming and destroying shapes.
If it were the case, it could correspond precisely to the etymological meaning of rhythm as showed by Emile
Benveniste in his famous article on rhythm (1951).
While looking at the sea, Nishida’s body-soul is continually shaked by rhythms of the infinite. And I think
such a vibration is reflected on his thought as well as on his writing. In fact, in his essay titled ‘‘The beauty of
calligraphy’’, Nishida defines the calligraphy as ‘‘expression of the free life and its rhythm’’ ; in his Problem of the
Japanese Culture (1940) also, Nishida qualifies it as ‘‘rhythmical’’.
In this research presentation, I’d like to show at first that the rhythm is a hidden key concept for
understanding the endless process of ‘‘Self –Awareness’’ or of ‘‘De-limitation of the absolute Nothingness.’’
In addition, it is very interesting to note that the almost same can be said about the notion of ‘‘il y a’’ posed
by Emmanuel Levinas. As a matter of fact, Levinas compares ‘‘il y a’’ to the fluidity without things which flow
(Heraclitus’ panta rei) and takes its movements for ‘‘rhythm made by the breaking of rhythm.’’ It’s precisely this
‘‘a-rhythm’’ that makes possible the emergence of Self or the process of ‘‘hypostasis.’’ as called by Levinas
himself. To compare Nishida with Levinas from this very point of view is the second aim of my presentation.
◾ The Sense of Someone Appearing There: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Appearance of an

Animated Persona
Masahiro MORIOKA(Human Sciences, Waseda University)
Animated Persona is the term I coined in 2019. In this presentation, I will discuss some of the latest developments
in research on this concept. Watsuji Tetsuro used the word “persona” in a very unique way in his essay “Mask
and Persona” (1935). He called a person-like something that appears on the surface of a wooden mask worn by
an actor on stage a “persona.” Watsuji’s usage was completely different from the Western concept of persona
or personhood, which means a being that has self-consciousness, rationality, and freedom. The idea of an
aminated persona, which is a concept that further developed Watsuji’s persona, has the potential to eloquently
explain the sense of someone being there in various settings. The most impressive feature of an animated
persona is “the supremacy of surface-ness over behind-ness.” In theory, for an animated persona to appear on
the surface of something or someone, no support from behind the surface, such as a mind or spirit lurking behind
the surface, is required. The dimension of the surface is everything for the appearance of an animated persona.
Using this concept, we can provide a clear phenomenological framework that can explain why we sometimes
feel the presence of someone on a human-shaped doll, a well-designed humanoid robot, and even a person in
a Yurukyara ゆるキャラ costume.
Research Interests: Phenomenology, philosophy of life
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◾ Two Ways of Overcoming Hegel: Dialectical Logic of Tanabe Hajime and Park Chonghong
KWAK Minseok (Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University)
Japanese philosopher Tanabe Hajime and Korean philosopher Park Chonghong are good representatives of
their respective country’s philosophical tradition and its reception of Hegelianism. It is also worth keeping in mind
that Park’s interpretation of Hegel was influenced by Tanabe’s philosophy, especially by his “Logic of Species”.
In “Logic of Species”, Tanabe accepted Hegel’s dialectic as a valid method of philosophical thinking but at the
same time, criticized it by pointing out that Hegel himself didn’t follow through with his dialectical method to its
last consequences. Thus, he radicalized Hegel’s dialectic and proposed a new ‘Absolute Dialectic’. Around 1945,
Tanabe accomplished the so-call Metanoetic turn, in which Shin Buddhism played a central role. Tanabe
elaborated his logic of absolute mediation by seeking the meaning of absolute negation in the Other-power of
Amida Buddha.
Park accepted the ‘Absolute Dialectic’ of Tanabe but didn’t agree with the transcendental aspect of Tanabe’s
philosophy, highlighting instead the absolute importance of reality. After 1945, he tried to create his own
dialectical logic, the ‘Logic of creation’, which is different from both Hegel’s and Tanabe’s. Park reinterpreted the
Mandate of Heaven, one of the key concepts of “The Doctrine of the Mean”, as negation itself, and transformed
it into a fundamental element of his own dialectic.
In this presentation, I examine the philosophical challenge raised by Tanabe and Park to Hegel’s philosophy
and compare their similar strategy of radicalizing the power of negation in Hegel’s dialectic, though relying on
two different ideological traditions (Buddhism and Confucianism).
Research Interests: Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, Kyoto School, Negation
13
Day 1 Session 3
◾ Bruce Lee and Philosophy

CHU Ming Hon(The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
We all know who Bruce Lee is, a kung-fu movie superstar, a legendary martial artist. After his untimely death,
we witness a growing body of publications on his philosophy, which slowly builds up his public image as a sage.
However, it can sound pretentious to talk about Lee’s philosophy in an academic setting. One thereby risks
overinterpreting his legacy or watering down philosophy. Yet, if we read the sparse writings he left, it is
undeniable that Taoist and Buddhist philosophy have heavily shaped his thoughts on martial arts. In addition to
applying philosophical ideas to the theorization of a particular art, I suggest that Lee is offering more which
deserves our attention.
Unlike the classical masters, Lee feels reluctant to form a school after his combat techniques, despite his world-
famous brand of Jeet Kune Do. He stresses that JKD does not represent a new fighting style, for it is merely a
convenient name, designating the freedom from any crystalized style. Under the heading of JKD, he promotes
the aesthetic idea of “artless art” and opposes any mechanical imitation of codified techniques. After all, he
believes that martial arts are among other arts sharing the common goal of personal cultivation. No art can come
to perfection unless the artist masters, foremost, the “art of the soul”. Lee defines artistic creation as
fundamentally a process of self-expression. Any achievement in artistic skill reveals the self-understanding of
the artist’s soul in relation to the world. He has thus indicated how martial arts can incarnate the “formless form”
as the freest expression of human life.
References
Bishop, J. (2023), Who Wrote the Tao? The Literary Sourcebook to the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Dallas: Promethean
Press.
Bolelli, D. (2003), On the Warrior’s Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology, Berkeley: Blue Snake
Books.
Bowman, P. (2010), Theorizing Bruce Lee: Film-Fantasy-Fighting-Philosophy, Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Lee, B. (1963), Chinese Gung-Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense, Santa Clarita: Ohara Publications.
Lee, B. (1971), “Liberate Yourself from Classical Karate”, Black Belt Magazine, Sept.
Lee, B. (1975), The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Santa Clarita: Ohara Publications.
Lee, B. (2001), Bruce Lee, Artist of Life: The Essential Writings, J. Little (ed.), Boston: Tuttle.
Lee, B. (2009), Bruce Lee: Wisdom for the Way, Chicago: Black Belt Communications.
Lee, S. (2020), Be Water, My Friend: The True Teachings of Bruce Lee, London: Ebury Publishing.
Preston, B. (2007), Bruce Lee and Me: A Martial Arts Adventure, London: Penguin.
◾ Chang Tung-sheng's Philosophy of Education Yuting Jia(School of Education, Humanities & Social
Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)
This article uses hermeneutics to interpret the text of Chang Tung-sheng (Zhang Dongsun 張東蓀, 1886-1973) in
order to give a different meaning to education studies, or to expand our horizon of education studies through his
theory. In other words, this article attempts to explore Chang's theory from the perspective of philosophy of
education. His theory is rarely seen in the English literature at present. Scholars have focused on him in the
fields of politics, culture, philosophy, and epistemology. At present, no scholar has re-interpreted Chang's theory
from the educational perspective. Although Chang does not directly mention terms related to education studies.
Or rather, the term "education 教育" appears in only a very few materials. However, we can still draw inspiration
from Chang's theory. In particular, his construction of a comprehensive philosophical system has contributed to
our understanding of the philosophy of education. Moreover, the discussion in this article is based on Chang
Tung-sheng's publications and single manuscripts. The following three aims are the direction of this article's
interpretation (all three findings are strictly focused on the term philosophy of education):
14
1. The definition of philosophy of education.
2. Philosophy of education - An irreplaceable path in education studies.
3. The future of philosophy of education in education studies.
Keywords: Philosophy of Education, Chang Tung-sheng (Zhang Dongsun 張東蓀), Chinese Philosophy,
Hermeneutics
◾ A Dialectic of Heaven and Man: A Conversation between Yijing and Hegel

Fangyang Xie(Department of Philosophy, University of Warwick, UK)
The relation between the infinite and the finite, or the universal and the particular in Hegelian terms, is of utmost
importance for any human being to understand her position and selfhood in relation to the cosmos in which she
is situated. Both Hegelian philosophy and Chinese philosophy affirm a pre-connectedness between particular
beings. While the particulars can appear as pairs of opposites, both are necessary and resolvable within the
whole that generates them. Man who bears a mortal, conditioned life is inevitably involved with the unique human
experience of confronting the contingencies, changes and contradictions outside his determinations. Thus, an
understanding of the Heaven-Man relationship and a normative model for moral perfection are developed based
on the specific cosmological and metaphysical explanations and the underlying dialectical processes.
Through an analysis of the metaphysics, the derived dialectical principles, and the normative rules of self-
cultivation in the Yizhuan and Neo-Confucian texts, this paper extends Chung-ying Cheng’s dialectics of
harmonization (1991) and responds to Cheng’s suggestion on positively bridging Hegelian philosophy and
Chinese philosophy in new dimensions (2019). How does the Yizhuan construct the dynamic relationship
between human finitude and naturalistic or idealistic wholeness? To what extent can the limitless whole find
expression in the thoughts or moral actions of the sage man? These questions are central to an understanding
of human uniqueness from a cross-cultural perspective, and to future studies on the forms of dialectics of Hegel
and Chinese philosophers.
15
Day 1 Session 4
◾ World-picture, environment and the end of philosophy between Heidegger and Nishida
Dario Vuger, PhD (Museum of Fine Arts, Osijek, Croatia)
Aim of this discussion is to contextualize Nishida’s philosophy of place within Heidegger’s late work, especially
his notion of the 'end of philosophy' while creating a complex conceptual environment for mindful engagement
with the life-world. The way Heidegger and Nishida respectfully engage phenomena of daily life through
utilization of mundane and vernacular terminology is not only a peculiar characteristic of their work but rather a
major moment of style and practice of a particular kind of philosophy which is no longer reducible to its own
project. Its outlooks lie in the advancement of the 'realization of philosophy' towards new types of engagement
with our life-experience, one that is not reducible to a discipline, a discrete visualization or any type of
optimisation. This is why we themed Heidegger’s philosophy as hesitant in approach and circumlocutive in style
while examining to what extent does the same apply to Nishida’s efforts. These findings will help us define and
shine a new light over Heidegger’s concept of the world-picture in relation to profoundly new phenomena of
visualization which are defined by new virtual environs, immersive yet unapproachable. Commodified space of
social networks and metaverse enterprises push us forward towards a task of thinking and searching for a place
– a habitual end – where mindful engagement still defies consolidation into a picture which is irreconcilable with
the vast environment of human experience.
Research Interests: Dario Vuger is a curator and a researcher in contemporary philosophy with interests in the
fields of phenomenology and contemporary aesthetics with emphasis on continental tradition and Japanese
philosophy of the 20 century.
th
◾ Nishitani's Reflection on Technology in the Age of Artificially Generated Philosophy

Artur GROMADZKI(Research Student, History of Japanese Philosophy, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto
University)
Throughout Nishitani Keiji's discussion of science and religion in the third chapter of "Religion on Nothingness,"
one of the central issues is the growing presence of mechanical technology understood as the embodiment and
appropriation of natural laws. Technology permeates human work and life, which in turn leads to the
mechanisation and depersonalisation of man. Nishitani contextualises this by the constant shift of the controller
and the controlled, the reciprocal relationship between technological development and advancement in scientific
knowledge.
Despite the passage of many years since Nishitani’s concerns were expressed, we find ourselves in the current
age of AI-generated writings, facing yet another instance of the mechanisation of human life. In light of this, I aim
to demonstrate the relevance of Nishitani's concerns by highlighting how the very process of knowledge
production also becomes mechanised. This is particularly evident in the emphasis on the speed and volume of
academic research, including philosophy. Furthermore, I delve into the concept of the subject of the intellectual
creative process. Nishitani sees human beings as distinguished from other living and non-living entities by their
possession of intellect, however in the age of AI, this distinction becomes problematic or even untenable. Here,
I draw upon Nishida Kitarō's standpoint of action-intuition, wherein the made becomes the maker, in this case,
an AI language model. Lastly, I challenge the dichotomy of human/artificial by revisiting the extended mind thesis,
which is in many ways foreshadowed by Nishida's later philosophy of the historical world and body.
Research Interests:Philosophy of the Kyoto School, embodied cognition, first-person methodologies,

consciousness
16
◾“Basho” before Basho: The genesis of the topology of Nishida Kitarō
Felipe Ferrari Gonçalves(Associate Professor, Yokkaichi University)
Since the publication of the Zen no Kenkyū [善の研究], in 1911, Nishida Kitarō seemed to have been searching
for an original concept that could give a logical foundation to his idea that the phenomena represent not simply
those things or objects that appear to the self, but rather that the compound of phenomena of consciousness
comprehends all the reality that the observing self is able to experience.
In 1924, on the essay On the inner perception [内部知覚について – Naibu chikaku ni tsuite], Nishida proposes
that, by thinking of it as that which “becomes a grammatical predicate, but not a grammatical subject”,
consciousness can be understood as a background in which objects exist and relate with the subject. In the
following year (1925), Nishida published Expressive action [表現作用 – Hyōgen Sayō], an essay in which, for the
first time, he would present “place” [場所 – basho] as being an immovable substratum in which the ever-changing
phenomena exist and relate to each other and in which things are placed [於いてある場所 – oitearu basho].
The objective of this presentation is to trace the origins of the conception of basho in Nishida’s early works
and correspondence, before the publication of the eponymous essay Basho and to clarify how it came to be, in
the words Michiko Yusa, the “the signature idea” of his philosophy.
17
Day 1 Session 5
◾ The Evolution of 'Changxingxing(常惺惺)' from Chan Buddhism to Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism: A
Conceptual Analysis
ZHANG Honghu (Shandong University)
"Xingxing" originally meant "keep sober" in traditional Chinese medicine and Chan Buddhism practice. Over time,
its meaning evolved, especially with Xie Shangcai(谢上蔡)'s introduction of the Song-ming Neo-Confucianism
ideology. Xie Shangcai was influenced by the prevalent "xingxingjiji"(惺惺寂寂) in Chan Buddhism during the
Tang and Song Dynasties. However, Zhu Xi disagreed with Xie Shangcai's interpretation of "chang xingxing" as
it carried implications of "xingxing for benevolence."(以惺惺为仁) Zhu Zi gradually developed a more neo-
Confucian understanding of "xingxing."
In Buddhism, "Xingxing" is a practice method found in various Buddhist scriptures. It involves purifying and
awakening oneself by maintaining a state of emptiness in meditation, leading to enlightenment. The meaning of
"Xingxing" encompasses "clarity" and "vigilance." Clarity refers to a clear state of mind, while vigilance
emphasizes the need for constant reminders to maintain clarity. In Chan Buddhism, "chang xingxing" is primarily
used to achieve awakening, enter the Buddhist path, and attain Buddhahood. Xie Shangcai adapted this concept
to transform the Confucian notion of "respect," infusing it with qualities of vigilance and awareness.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, "chang xingxing" played a significant role in various schools of thought,
including Confucianism and Buddhism. Scholars like Wang Yangming(王阳明) and Liu Zongzhou(刘宗周) further
analyzed its meaning, refining, and enriching it to the point of becoming an ontological concept. This highlights
the close relationship between Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism. This exemplifies the dynamic
interplay between aesthetics, philosophy, and spirituality in shaping the unique and valuable human experience.
Research Interests: Chinese Philosophy (Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism); Buddhism
◾ On Death：Comparative Analysis on Buddhism and Confucianism

Maki SATO(Fellow, The New Institute, East Asian Academy, The University of Tokyo)
The early Tokugawa period saw a trend toward Confucianism becoming independent in its rivalry with Buddhism,
from the ideological current of Shintoism Buddhism unity that had been based on Buddhism until the Middle
Ages. What does this trend look like in terms of the conflict between early Tokugawa Confucianism
and Buddhism over the idea of death or rituals surrounding death? In the early Tokugawa period, Confucianism
adopted the ordinance, “Bunkō karei (⽂公家礼)” as a model for its funerary rites of death. In the funeral rites of
the “Bunkō karei” the exclusion of Buddhist rites was stipulated as “Fusaku butsuji (不作仏事)”.
The most important of the Buddhist rites to be excluded was cremation. This was due to the strong
resistance to cremating the remains of one's parents that stemmed from filial piety. I would like to clarify how
this issue of death was formed in Confucianism during the early Tokugawa period through the rivalry between
Buddhism and Confucianism. I will first explore what Nakae Toju (中江藤樹, 1608-1648) had in mind being a
Confucius scholar at that time. If possible, I would also like to summarize how Kumaza Banzan (熊沢蕃⼭, 1619-
1691) extended Nakae’s idea, as a disciple of Nakae regarding their idea in terms of the belief system in life
after death, and how the body is treated after death. By looking further into the problematised idea in terms of
their attitude toward the death and the burial practices, I would like to identify how the idea of the after death
life and rebirth has been changed.
18
◾ The Korean neo-Confucian Ideal of Pluralism and Han
Hyeon Sop BAEK(University of Hawai‘i at Manoa)
In this paper, I will investigate the Korean concept of han and suggest that the feeling of han is essentially
inseparable from the central project of the Korean neo-Confucian philosophical tradition. Han is a complex
sentiment, but one may characterize it as an internally directed complex of sentiments of frustration, sadness,
and anger. In particular, I plan to demonstrate that the Korean neo-Confucian project's ultimate objective was to
build a pluralistic world where different people can coexist in harmony and build the ideal world. Nevertheless,
the confrontation between the neo-Confucian ideal and the bleakness of reality made their project challenging
to achieve, which led to the development of the feeling of han. To do so, I will first examine the concept of han and
what it entails and then investigate the works of Korean neo-Confucians, including Toegye, Yulgok, and Jeong
Dojeon. I plan to draw the concept of plurality from the political theory of Hannah Arendt. While the Arendtian
and Korean neo-Confucian philosophies are ultimately different, I will contend that human underlies the
foundation of an ideal political realm within both traditions. I will conclude that the ultimate objectives of Korean
Confucianism lie in closing the gap between the ideal and reality in moral cultivation and its political project of
building an ideal, pluralistic world, and han emerges from realizing the difficulty of achieving that goal. I will further
contest that han can be a driving force for political participation in the contemporary democratic, pluralistic
society.
Research Interests:Confucianism, neo-Confucianism, Korean philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Social and

political philosophy, Comparative philosophy, Moral sentiments, Feminist philosophy, Decoloniality, Critical
theory
19
Day 1 Session 6
◾ Why Do Sages Have Emotions——Focusing on the Prototype of Sages in Wei-Jin Metaphysics
JIANG Fan(School of Chinese Classics, Renmin University of China; Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent
University)
The concept of sages in Wei-Jin Metaphysics refers to individuals who are neither kings nor gods, but rather
"supreme individuals" (zhiren 至人) who attain the utmost in human nature. Therefore, the discussion underlying
the prototype of sages then is actually about the way of human existence and the pursuit of value. Regarding
the issue of emotions in sages, He Yan 何晏 (196-249) and Guo Xiang 郭象 (?-312) start from the perspective
of ordinary people who are bound by emotions, believing that sages have surpassed the realm of emotions.
However, such extreme view overlooks the personal experiences and existential circumstances of individuals,
and neglects the dialectical relationship between "presence" (you 有) and "absence" (wu 无) in Metaphysics.
Wang Bi 王弼 (226-249), through a shift in Confucius' evaluation, starts from the perspective of "nature" (ziran
自然) and acknowledges the expression of emotions in sages, and, through the idea of "body of the trails"
(tiyongritu 体用一如), argues for the necessity of sages to align with and adapt to their surroundings. In fact, the
debate in Wei-Jin Metaphysics about whether or not sages have emotions involves the relationship between
experiential life and a perfect personality. The dispute between "nature" and "Confucian ethical codes" (mingjiao
名教) implied by Confucius' image in the Analects not only serves as the framework for the prototype of sages
then but also provides a metaphysical approach to resolving this issue.
Research Interests:Chinese Philosophy, especially Wei-Jin Metaphysics
◾ The interface between Fideism and new atheism in the Context of Fictionalism: A Study in Asian
Religious Traditions
Chandana Deka(Assistant Professor (Philosophy), Department of Liberal Arts, SRM University, Andhra
Pradesh, India)
The new atheists have generally been referred to as fictionalists by some philosophers. They believe that
fictionalists may practice religion just like theists. An atheist can believe in God, according to Andrew Eshleman's
argument (Cordry 2010, 77). Robin Le Poidevin also talks about atheism and fictionalism (Poidevin 1996).
Holding an opposite view to atheism, for fideism religious belief-systems are not subject to rational evaluation
(Peterson, 2003). But fideists and new atheists seem to merge within the idea of fictionalism as per those
thinkers’ position according to whom atheists can participate in religious activities. Fideist as fictionalist or the
new atheist as fictionalist-these two are two different camps. The first part of this paper evaluates Robin's
understanding of fictionalism concerning atheists. ‘Fideism and realism’ or ‘fictionalism and realism’ debate itself
is a western debate. Therefore, I want to see how Asian religion participates in the fictionalist, fideist, and realist
debate. In this sense, I'm bringing up Shintoism's interaction with metaphysics, if any, and its function in society.
Shintoism is distinct from the other religions. Therefore, I will address the subject of whether Shintoism adheres
to a realist school, a fictionalist school, or other anti-realist perspectives in the second section while explaining
how Shintoism is practiced.
Keywords: Fictionalism; Antirealist; Realist; Shintoism; Fideism; New atheists
20
◾ Between expressing and regulating: poets, sages and rulers working with emotions
Václav VALTR(Charles University, Faculty of Arts, Department of Sinology)
There is a strong accent in many old Chinese texts to adjust the emotions of the individual and to use tools such
as rituals and music to regulate the emotions of the people. Empty heart, adaptiveness to changes, reacting to
things from the perspective of things themselves – those are without any debate strong characteristics of a sage.
But in the old Chinese poetic tradition, there is an undeniable tendency of expressing emotions, which could be
in the above-mentioned line of thought considered as “unhealthy” or “excessive”. As Chinese philosophy is
inseparable from the aesthetic and ethical dimension, we will try to observe the role of expressing and regulating
emotions in the world based on the dynamics between One and the many (as is expressed in the Changes).
This interplay will be observed on both philosophical (Lunyu, Liji, Zhuangzi, Huainanzi) and poetic (Chuci, Gushi
shijiu shou) material.
Between the Eastern Zhou and Six Dynasties periods, we can observe an intermingled trend of “empty-hearted”
sagehood aesthetically finding its articulation in landscape poetry and painting and “disturbed” poetics leading
to emotionally arousing, expressive literary theories and carefree gestures of abandonment. This article is
focused on examining the holistic approach to philosophy, aesthetics and ethics on the common cosmological
ground and describing the interplays between these trends.
21
Day 1 Session 7
◾ Hanfeizi and Confucianism: focusing on loyalty and filial piety
Hyunmo Park(PhD Student, Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan)
Han Fei's thought contains the content of criticizing Confucianism. He pointed out that benevolence and
righteousness and other Confucian values of morality or virtue are disadvantageous in the political field, and he
also advocated that the those values should be excluded. This criticism is regarded as a denial of Confucian
thought to human nature. However, a certain part of Hanfeizi expresses Han Fei's positive views on morality or
virtue. Although Han Fei's concepts of loyalty and filial piety appear in his criticism, he does not criticize loyalty
and filial piety themselves, but the objects of his criticism are different aspects of Confucianism. This point may
be considered to be Han Fei's affirmation of Confucianism, and also implies that Han Fei has inherited the factors
of Confucianism.
This paper assumes that the loyalty and filial piety of Han Fei's thought is based on Confucianism, and
analyze HanFeizi and its thoughts. Next, I will examine how Han Fei criticizes and accepts Confucianism, and
tries to explore how Confucian loyalty and filial piety transforms its concept and meaning in Han Fei's thought.
This study rethinks on Sima Qian's historical narrative, and may provide room for further discussion of Han Fei’s
thought.
Research Interests:political philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Jixia academy.
◾ Performing humanness: the significance of ritual Martyna ŚWIĄTCZAK-BOROWY(University of

Warsaw, Department of Philosophy)
As Plato’s featherless bird reminds us, the attempts to define human beings to distinguish them from
other sentient beings have mostly come to naught. However, the question of what makes human experience
uniquely valuable remains particularly salient, especially in the wake of our supposedly unique abilities of writing,
producing art, and thinking analytically being yanked out of our hands by powerful AIs
What is left for philosophy once machines can access the totality of human intellectual creation and
generate works indistinguishable from AI-made? The answer to this question is humanity itself — not as a fixed
object of study but as a dynamic and constantly changing network of human relationships.
According to Tomasello (2019), despite being continuous with other living creatures, humans developed
a unique form of shared agency. Beauty, morality, and language are modalities of human sociality and are
predicated on our preference for and ability to form complex social networks.
Early Confucianism is a philosophy centered around the relational embeddedness of human beings. This
human characteristic is shaped and expressed by a particular type of activity — ritual (li 禮). Confucian ritual is
a dynamic, evolutionary concept (Lai 2006). It is fundamental for such elements of human functioning as cultural
learning, the development of social norms, cooperation, or moral identity.
Following the direction set by Confucianism, the most substantial subject for philosophical inquiry is thus
understanding the ritual action, which is “utterly meaningless” (Whitehouse 2021) and instrumentally useless
and only in hindsight reveals its essential character as a performance of human sociality and humanness itself.
Research Interests:Chinese philosophy, political philosophy, early Confucianism, ritual
22
◾ Fashion and the Golden Mean: Li Yu’s self-fashioning during the Ming-Qing dynastic transition
Yue Zhang(Comparative Literature, The University of Auckland)
The forceful implementation of the Manchu hairstyle and clothing, posing a dire threat to the Confucian aesthetics,
added to the trauma for Confucian scholars like Li Yu, who experienced an identity crisis after the fall of the Ming.
To avoid the Manchu hairstyle and attire, which came to be a symbol of Ming loyalism, the Ming loyalists made
different choices—some died, some retreated to the mountains, and some became Buddhist and Daoist monks
who were exempted from the decree. Hence, the practice of hairstyle and dressing became the focal point of
ethnic, cultural, and political conflicts. Li Yu created different selves and personae during the traumatic dynastic
transition as reflected in his writings. Following the orthodox Confucian way, Li Yu could have committed suicide
after the fall of the Ming like many other Confucian scholars did or continued his way of living by withdrawing
from society like he once did. However, Li Yu reconnected with society through a series of cultural undertakings
like popular literature, publishing, and performing. In this paper, I am going to investigate the fluidity of Li Yu’s
identity as reflected in his ten plays through the sartorial lens. And I argue that Li Yu, the paradoxical literary
figure during the chaotic ming–Qing dynastic transition period who viewed the theatre as a metaphor for the
world and followed the footprint of the Confucian sage, created a self that is neither pedantic nor licentious, which
is the embodiment of the doctrine of the Mean, the highest of all virtues in Confucianism, to deal with the inter-
dynastic trauma.
Research Interests:Li Yu, seventeenth-century Chinese literature, comparative literature
◾ Fine-Tuning or Embedding: The Strategies of Yan Fu and Chen Huanzhang’s Confucianism to Adapt
to Spontaneous Order
Xinran WANG 王信然 (PhD. Candidate: Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou,
Mainland China/International Scholar: Chinese Studies Research Unit, Faculty of Arts, Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven, Leuven, Belgium)
Fine-tuning and embedding are two types of human intervention in AI evolutionary systems, with the former
being used for directional adjustment and the latter assisting the system in integrating qualitative relationships.
Yan Fu 嚴複 and Chen Huanzhang 陳煥章 thought similarly to these strategies when discussing how the market
economy applied to modern China, intending to understand the role played by humans in a civilized society. In
several contexts, the dilemma of humans in a social system where order emerges spontaneously parallels that
of AI: real flesh and blood encounters simulated life, concrete encounters abstraction, and individual encounters
the designed collective. Through an analysis of Yan's and Chen's approaches to the understanding of
'justice/benefit distinction,' this paper seeks to comprehend their perspectives on the irreplaceable value of
human beings, which are reflected in contrast between Yan's 'accommodation' solution and Chen's 'pre-defined
relationship' solution to institutional design. Both Yan and Chen advocate conservative liberalism that upholds
the human being's autonomy and attempt to realize the Confucian and Daoist understanding of the abstract
nature of human beings in the context of specific economic experience. This study goes beyond a simple
dichotomy between metaphysics and empiricism to comprehend their ideas as traditional Chinese thought in
response to modern complex systems and how individual values manifest amid collective evolution.
Research Interests:Chinese political/economic philosophy, Confucianism in modern China, philosophy of law
23
Day 1 Session 8
◾ What kind of knowledge does Dao 道 refer to? : Discussing its meaning in the Gui Gu Zi 鬼谷子
CARAMES SANCHEZ, Javier(Department of Chinese, National Taiwan University)
It is widely accepted that the dao 道 and lógos (λόγος) are very good references to understand the differences
between ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy and science.
In this paper, I will focus on the use of dao 道 found on Gui Gu Zi 鬼谷子 looking for it for its cognitive
framework. I will defend that it refers to a way of taking the real emotional state of a person to know what he is
thinking. The sage is seen as the person who deals with important issues by observing the emotional state of
kings and feudal lords and speaking to them, relying on the emotions that they project outwards.
Likewise, criticism of his teachings and his disciples, classified within who most representative persons are Su
Qin and Zhang Yi, consists of their inability to control his desires and greed, taking advantage of the little virtue
and cultivation of his interlocutors and the political chaos and continuous wars of the Warring States Period. It
is not related to relativism and the denial of absolute truth. In other words, Gui Gu Zi rhetoric is based in saying
things following listener emotions and critics of his teachings blame them for get advantages of rulers not with
no proper education and unstable political circumstances.
Research Interests:
1. Chinese Classical Rhetoric
2. Zongheng School (縱橫家)
3. Classical Greek and Chinese Thought Comparison
4. Translation from Latin to Chinese
5. Translation from Classical Chinese to Spanish
◾ The Triptych of Human Existence: Life, Desire, and Death in Lu’s Spring and Autumn Annals
LEE, Kwai Sang(Associate Dean of Graduate School, Associate Professor of Literature and Cultural Studies at
The Education University of Hong Kong)
Aesthetics, etymologically meaning perception or sensation, takes on new significance in an era where
generative AI challenges the notion of humans as “zoon logon echon” (animals with reason/language). Desires,
which stem from survival instincts and sensory capabilities, embody a unique aspect of human existence as
mortal biological organisms. In examining human nature, the major ancient Chinese philosophers touched upon
the concept of desire but tended to undervalue its importance. Daoism advocated “renunciation of desire” (無欲
wu yu) as a means to spiritual enlightenment, while Confucian moral cultivation was interpreted as “preserving
Heavenly Principle and dismissing human desire” (存天理去人欲 cun tianli qu renyu) by later scholars. Among
pre-Qin philosophical works, Lu’s Spring and Autumn Annals stands out for placing desire at the centre of human
life. This paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the significance of desire in Lu’s Spring and Autumn
Annals by exploring four key aspects of its thematic portrayal in the book: 1) the categorisation of desire, 2) the
role of desire in evaluating the value of life, 3) the reconciliation of desire with moral principles, and 4) death as
a means of fulfilling desire. These expositions demonstrate the syncretic nature of Lu’s Spring and Autumn
Annals, which integrates the Daoist emphasis on personal well-being with the Confucian moral spirit of self-
sacrifice for righteousness.
Research Interests:Ancient Chinese philosophy, Chinese Intellectual History, Traditional Chinese Culture
24
◾ XUNZI’S NOTION OF YU
Yalin ZHOU(Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy, School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore)
This paper aims at a precise understanding of Xunzi’s notion of yu 欲 using textual analysis and a comparative
lens. Conceptualizing yu is meaningful for understanding Xunzi’s program of moral transformation of human’s
problematic inborn desires. Current Xunzi scholarship touching on yu mostly interprets it as desire; yet, the
concept of desire is too general to reflect Xunzi’s notion of yu accurately. I argue that for Xunzi, to yu is to feel
pursuing or obtaining what one takes affective pleasure in as needed and ought to. His conception of yu could
be seen as consisting of two components. For one, desire entails a pleasure-based liking. There are qualitatively
higher and lower pleasures, and this liking is not merely underlaid with joy but a variety of affective feelings. For
the other, to desire entails a specific type of wanting whose motivating force is manifested as a feeling of felt
need and obliged to help its satisfaction. In phenomenal term, this feeling is originated from people’s fear of
insecurity and the need for an 安 (security; ease) to constitute a truly pleasurable life. Ontologically, desire is felt
as a dynamic admixture of affective feelings qing 情 (affective feelings) and the flowing qi 氣 (energy-substance)
in the form of physiological responses. For Xunzi, the degree to which the satisfaction is fulfilled and the quality
of pleasure is not merely dependent on the successful obtaining of the objects but, more importantly, one’s inner
feeling of security and unpuzzled state.
Research Interests: classical Confucianism; comparative philosophy; 4E cognition; sociocultural psychology
◾ The place of truth in Qu Yuan’s “The Fisherman”

RZANNA Ewa(Institute for Study and Documentation of Literature, Warsaw, Poland)
“Yu Fu” or "The Fisherman", a short work anthologized in the 楚辭, traditionally attributed to Qu Yuan, a Chinese
poet and minister from the Warring State Period, can be approached from different angles, however, in this paper
I intend to focus on its topography and choreography. Not only are the two protagonists, the scholar and the
fisherman, immersed in two distinct elements – earth and water, they also move along horizontal or vertical axes,
in either straight or circular manner, all of which in perfect synchronicity with the philosophical arguments they
make. The dialogue is short and inconclusive as if to reflect the insurmountable difference of the two positions,
but also their equal epistemological status and value. A similar construction of truth as derived and determined
by the place, topos, at which it appears to an attentive individual, can be found in Martin Heidegger’s “Being and
Time”, particularly, in his concepts of truth as aletheia, or disclosure. According to Heidegger, truth is bound to
a place, therefore it is subjective, but for that reason not less true, on the contrary, any attempt to “displace” truth,
i.e. make it objective, inevitably leads to falsehood. For means which would enable a more constructive dialogue
between topical truths, as depicted in “Yu Fu”, I will turn to Stanisław Lem’s novel “Solaris”, the story of an
encounter between irreconcilable worlds.
Arguably, with the arrival of AI, a form of truth separated from any topos, the problem of “Yu Fu” acquires
additional “topicality”.
Research Interests:Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Continental Philosophy of the 20 Century, Modern Polish
th
Literature.
25
Day 1 Session 9
◾ Three philosophers on the Japanese notion of virtue: comparing the experiences of Nishimura, Miki,
and Watsuji
Koji TACHIBANA(Chiba University, Japan)
Japanese notion of “virtue (toku)” has been influenced by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Among
such influences, Westernisation starting in the late 19th century had a significant impact on Japanese
philosophers of that time. They needed to struggle with Western ethical theories, which located the concept of
virtue in a different context from that in Japan. This presentation investigates what sort of unique experiences
they had when they encountered the Western notion of virtue. To achieve this goal, I focus on three Japanese
philosophers, Shigeki Nishimura, Kiyoshi Miki, and Tetsuro Watsuji. First, I investigate Nishimura’s Japanese
translations of Western literature on ethics and his own works. I show that he criticises the Western notion of
virtue from the Confucian point of view. Second, I survey Miki’s works on Aristotle and argue that he struggles
with interpreting the Aristotelian notion of virtue. Third, I examine Watsuji’s understanding of the notion of virtue.
Introducing the notion of “aidagara”, he criticises Western individualism and compares it with the relation-based
ethics of Japanese philosophy. However, he also emphasises the multilayeredness of Japanese culture in the
article “Japanese Spirit” and argues that each layer retains its unique values in Japanese culture. I argue that
his analyses of Japanese ethics represent a complexity of the Japanese notion of virtue. In conclusion, I argue
that Japanese philosophers since the late 19th century had a unique experience when they struggled with the
Western notion of virtue and that their experiences help us understand the Japanese notion of virtue.
Research Interests: Aristotle’s ethics, contemporary virtue ethics, and Japanese notion of virtue
◾ Nishitani and Nietzsche on the Ethics of Sympathy

Gerald Nelson Jr.(Pennsylvania State University)
In this essay, I propose an intervention into the ethics of sympathy based on the philosophy of Keiji Nishitani. I
use resources from Nishitani’s thinking to respond to Nietzsche’s critique of the moral value of sympathy (Mitleid).
This comparative analysis is justified as Nishitani adopts a critical relation to the value of sympathy as it is
conceived by common sense. His theory is strengthened by surviving Nietzsche’s critique, for Nietzsche presents
the most forceful analysis of the inadequacy of sympathy. After I reconstruct Nietzsche’s critique, I argue that
Nishitani’s thinking, particularly his standpoint of emptiness (空) as circuminsessional interpenetration (回互的相
入), is most apt for reconceiving sympathy in a manner that avoids the problems identified by Nietzsche.
Nietzsche’s critique of the hidden egoistic motivations of sympathy is derived from the metaphysical problem of
sympathy as an impossible interaction between individuated egos, which cannot plausibly make the experience
and interests of the other come into one’s own. Nietzsche’s problem of sympathy in light of the metaphysics of
individuation motivates his critique, since in his view, then sympathy is simply a narcissistic feeling.
I argue that we should extract the experience of sympathy out of the metaphysics that Nietzsche’s critique relies
on and instead invoke Nishitani’s standpoint of emptiness as the metaphysical meaning of sympathy. Nishitani’s
idea that the self and other mutually penetrate each other in a circulating dynamic rather than existing as mutually
remote persons helps us to conceive of sympathy in a way that is both metaphysically plausible and morally
affirmable.
26
◾ Listening without a Listener – understanding the experience of listening to music and the self
through Nishitani Keiji’s philosophy of Emptiness
Anttoni KUUSELA (Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä)
Can art be honest? I think music can. Perhaps only music – because it’s ephemeral. That’s paradox,
music is a phantasm but it’s true” (Dorian Gray in the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, s01e04)
In our everyday life, music is taken as a resource – a resource that is helpful in one sense or the other: Music
can help alleviate sadness, lift the mood if life seems a bit dull, or enhance an already great atmosphere. Thus,
music is taken to scaffold our affective relation to the world and ourselves. Yet music is more than a resource of
affective scaffolding, which can be used to gain desired affective states. Ultimately, music is more honest and
truer: It escapes our efforts to define it as instrumental.
In my paper, I will examine the possibility of an experience of listening without a listener – that is, when music is
not separated from one’s self into an external resource. I will base my analysis of listening without a listener to
Nishitani Keiji’s philosophy of emptiness and the “indistinct” nature of Japanese aesthetics as formulated by
David E. Cooper (2017). Additionally, I will employ critically the concept of “affective scaffolding” (Saarinen 2020).
The aim of this paper is to show that there are hidden depths in our relation to music, which are obscured by
taking music as a resource. By illuminating these hidden depths, moreover, I will claim that we can understand
ourselves more deeply, to reveal the phantasmic yet true nature of our selves.
Research Interests: Japanese philosophy, the Kyoto School, Japanese Buddhist Philosophy, subjectivity,
aesthetics
◾ On the Idea of Sincerity 誠 in Japanese Philosophy-Focusing on the Case of Yokoi Shōnan-

Kosuke IKEGAMI(MA student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, School of Japan Studies, and Central
European University, History Department)
This presentation discusses the idea of ‘sincerity’ 誠 and its significance in Japanese philosophy
focusing on the interpretation of Yokoi Shōnan (1809-1869), a Japanese Confucian thinker and politician.
‘Sincerity’ is one fundamental virtue in Confucian philosophy as Great Learning considers it one of the Eight
Items. It plays an important role in Japanese philosophy as well. For instance, Kitaro Nishida (1870-1845), the
founder of the Kyoto School, treated the idea of ‘sincerity’ in An Inquiry into the Good. In Japan, ‘sincerity’ tended
to be regarded as an absolute value accordant with the Japanese aesthetic sense. However, absolutising
‘sincerity’ could generate a self-righteous attitude due to the subjectivity of this idea. In other words, the idea of
‘sincerity’ was considered to represent Japanese aesthetics, while its absolutisation could lack objective norms.
‘Sincerity’ plays an important role in Yokoi Shōnan’s thought, too. In Shōnan, who espoused neo-
Confucianism, ‘sincerity’ was understood as, on the one hand, a way to ‘investigate knowledge’, but on the other
hand, as a cardinal condition for understanding each other. As such, a feature of Shōnan’s ‘sincerity’ is that he
did not blindly believe in its subjective value, which was often the case in Japanese philosophy, but it was open
to other people. Therefore, Shōnan’s interpretation of ‘sincerity’ can provide insights to us alive today, in an age
of more and more diverse relations with others.
Research Interests: My research interests lie in mainly two themes. One is political philosophy, especially that
of Yokoi Shōnan. The other is the idea of public and private in Japanese and Confucian philosophy. I am also
interested in Western philosophy, sociology, and religion.
27
Day 1 Session 10 Organized Panel
◾Panel title: Creativity, Play, and Daoism
Panel abstract:
In recent years, analytic philosophy has witnessed a growing interest in topics such as creativity and play.
Research on these phenomena cuts across many traditional areas of philosophical inquiry, as the questions they
pose have been demonstrated to be relevant for disciplines as diverse as the philosophy of mind (e.g., what
happens in our minds when we are being creative or playful?), aesthetics (e.g., how can the notion of play inform
that of aesthetic agency? What is the role of creativity in the production of artworks?) and epistemology (e.g,
how do play and creative activities affect epistemically relevant processes such as belief-formation and
perspective-taking?). By engaging with Warring States Daoist philosophy, and especially the Zhuangzi 莊子, the
papers in this panel contribute to current research on creativity and play from different standpoints. The first
paper, “Nothing Compares 2 U: Contradiction and Illumination of the Obvious,” addresses, among others, the
question of how one can get into a state of creative action by discussing how the use of contradictory language
in the Zhuangzi might have exactly this function. The second paper, “The Power of Images: Zhuangzi’s
Demonstration of the Ideal of Playfulness,” explores how the evocative and metaphorical language of the
Zhuangzi can support an interpretation that Zhuangzi recommends playfulness as an ideal way of living. Finally,
the paper “Two Kinds of Transformational Creativity in Daoist Philosophy” draws from the Zhuangzi and Wang
Bi’s interpretation of the Daodejing to provide two alternative and compatible models of radical creativity.
Nothing Compares 2 U: Contradiction and Illumination of the Obvious

Julianne CHUNG
Many philosophers employ apparently contradictory language in their writing. But why? What is such language
aimed at doing, and what can we learn from investigating its nature and function? This paper explores these
questions via a case study concerning the nature and function of apparently contradictory language in the
Zhuangzi. I begin by explaining what it might mean to engage the world aesthetically, as opposed to, say,
doxastically, by discussing one way in which Zhuangzian philosophy can be interpreted as employing apparently
contradictory language to encourage audiences to act creatively by embracing you 遊, or “wandering”, as well
as what that involves. I continue by clarifying how the specific description of aesthetic, creative activity discussed
can be further fleshed out to help better elucidate the nature and function of apparently contradictory language
more generally. I conclude by briefly exploring two ways in which the central insights of this case study can be
further applied, such that it can be brought to bear on broader discussions in contemporary analytic philosophy
concerning how and why we might more aesthetically and creatively interact with aspects of the human and non-
human world, including AI.
◾The Power of Images:The Zhuangzi’s Demonstration of the Ideal of Playfulness

HUANG Shih-Han
The Zhuangzi is a playful text with colorful language. However, this fact has not drawn much attention from
scholars—especially those whose primary concern is giving “serious” philosophical reconstruction of the
Zhuangzi. I think that is a mistake. In this paper, I take the
Zhuangzi’s playfulness seriously. I argue that Zhuangzi recommends playfulness as a way of
living by presenting, not abstract argumentation, but appealing images. I begin with analyzing the concept of
playfulness. Playfulness, like flexibility, opposes both strict order and lack of order. But unlike flexibility,
playfulness is not done for the sake of anything—not even for the sake of itself. For when being playful, we enter
an intoxicated state that lies between sober agents (who act for reasons) and mere objects. I therefore define
playfulness as “intoxicated flexibility.” With this definition of playfulness, I move on to interpret the Kun/Peng
story in the opening passage of the Zhuangzi. I compare this image of a big fish (Kun) transforming into a big
bird (Peng) with Nussbaum’s images of the hard gem and the tender young plant. I argue that these three images
appeal to us in different ways, thus demonstrating different ideals. The hard gem and the tender young plant
demonstrate the ideal of self-sufficiency and that of embracing fragility respectively. In contrast, Kun/Peng, being
intoxicatedly flexible, functions as a symbol of playfulness—and we are attracted by it. I therefore conclude that
the Zhuangzi demonstrates how great playfulness is with appealingly playful figures, such as Kun/Peng.
28
◾Two Kinds of Transformational Creativity in Daoist Philosophy
Davide Andrea ZAPPULLI
Margaret Boden defines transformational creativity as the kind of creativity that transforms the conceivable space
of possibilities. Boden’s account doesn’t specify the exact details of what it takes to transform such a space. The
aim of this paper is to draw on Daoist sources, primarily the Daodejing 道徳経 and the Zhuangzi 莊子, to identify
and provide a metaphysics for two distinct notions of transformational creativity. The paper is divided into two
main parts. In the first, I give an overview of the analytic philosophy of creativity and introduce Boden’s notion of
transformational creativity (§1.1). Then, drawing on a growing literature that assigns to imagination a central role
in the creative process, I use the distinction between imagining propositionally and imagining objectually to
sketch two senses in which transformational creativity might work (§1.2). The second section uses Daoist
sources to provide a detailed metaphysics of these two kinds of transformational creativity. Connecting to the
notion of imagining objectually, I develop a metaphysics of what I call ‘content transformation,’ which operates
the transformation through the creation of new contents, by drawing from the account of creation of all entities
(萬物 wanwu) from nothingness (無 wu) contained both in the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi (§2.1). Connecting
to the notion of imagining propositionally, I develop a metaphysics of what I call ‘interpretative transformation,’
which instead operates the transformation through a change in the boundaries of previously existing contents,
by drawing from the account of language given in the Zhuangzi (§2.2).
29
◾Panel title: ChatGPT Cannot Replace Chinese Philosophy: The Wisdom of Oriental Philosophy to
Avoid War and Seek Peace [Bizhan Qiuhe 避戰求和]
Names (affiliations) of panelists:
Drs. Li Yang (Ghent University )[Panel Chair]
Drs. Zhou Biwan(Joint PhD degree by Nanjing University, China and Ghent University, Belgium)
Drs. Li Mingyu (Ghent University)
Panel abstract: The emergence of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence has undoubtedly brought about a
revolution in various aspects of human life. However, it falls short of substituting the profound philosophical
insights necessary for comprehending the complexities of war and peace. This panel aims to explore the notion
that the essential Oriental philosophical wisdom required to navigate the intricacies of conflict resolution and
peacebuilding cannot be effectively supplanted by AI. This proposition is exemplified by the outbreak of the
Russo-Ukrainian war, despite recent advancements in AI.
By drawing upon Eastern philosophy, this panel examines the contributions of several doctoral candidates in
shedding light on the intricate relationship between war and peace. Li Yang and Li Mingyu delve into the realms
of diplomacy and the nature of a harmonious society, respectively, within the context of the late Qing dynasty.
Their research emphasizes the role of Oriental philosophical thought in preventing conflicts and promoting
peaceful coexistence. Meanwhile, Zhou Biwan investigates the Pre-Qin Eclectics [Xian’qin 先秦 ] from an
axiological perspective, specifically during the Warring States Period [Zhanguo Shidai 戰國時代] from 551 to 479
BC. Through the analysis of this period, the study elucidates the relevance of ancient philosophical wisdom in
comprehending the complexities of war and peace.
In conclusion, despite the recent advancements in AI, the philosophical wisdom derived from Eastern thought
plays a pivotal role in comprehending the intricacies of war and peace. This research highlights the significance
of philosophy in fostering peaceful resolutions and underscores the irreplaceable nature of human philosophical
inquiry in addressing the challenges of our troubled times.
Contribution by drs. Li Yang (Ghent University)

◾To what extent did Confucianism influence Li Hongzhang's [李鴻章] idea of “cementing relations with
Western countries” [Herong 和戎] diplomacy in the late Qing Dynasty?
Abstract: Traditional Chinese diplomatic ideas may have been influenced by the Ancient Chinese view of
"under heaven" [Tianxia Guan 天下觀]. In the eyes of traditional Confucian intellectuals in ancient China, China
occupied a central position in the world. Many scholars argue that ancient China's diplomatic ideas were
isolationist and ideologically closed. However, after the Second Opium War in the 1860s, the Qing government
was forced to abandon its conventional worldview, and its foreign policy was interpreted as an attempt to
establish relations with Western countries [Herong 和戎] and pursue self-strengthening [Ziqiang 自强]. These
terms emerged from the Qing government's Self-Strengthening Campaign. Existing literature often oversimplifies
the Qing government's foreign policy, overlooking the transformation of its diplomatic ideas and the underlying
influence of Confucianism. The concept of cementing relations with Western countries [Herong 和戎 ] is
commonly attributed to Li Hongzhang [李鴻章], who initially proposed it.
This contribution, using a literary approach, aims to fill an existing knowledge gap by exploring the extent to
which Confucianism influenced the diplomacy of "cementing relations with Western countries" [Herong 和戎]
during the late Qing dynasty from an intellectual history perspective. The study is divided into three chronological
periods: 1) 1860-1884, which examines how Confucianism shaped Li Hongzhang's [李鴻章] views on foreign
affairs and contributed to the Qing government's self-strengthening campaign prior to the First Sino-French War
in 1885; 2) 1885-1895, which explains how Confucianism influenced Li Hongzhang's [李鴻章] conservative
approach of playing one power against another [Yiyi Zhiyi 以夷制夷] in dealing with Japan before the First Sino-
Japanese War in 1895; 3) 1896-1901, which examines the failure of Li Hongzhang's concept of cementing
relations with Western countries [Herong 和戎] following the signing of the Final Protocol for the Settlement of
the Disturbances of 1900 [Xinchou Tiaoyue 辛丑條約] by the Qing government.
30
Contribution by drs. Zhou Biwan (Joint PhD degree by Nanjing University, China and Ghent University,
Belgium)
◾Reflections on the Pre-Qin [Xian’qin 先秦] from 551 BC to 479 BC Eclectics [Za’jia 雜家] from the
Perspective of Axiology
Abstract: We are living in an era of rapid technological development that has transformed our way of life and
redefined the relationship between individuals and the world, posing numerous challenges and sparking ongoing
discussions. Given the influence of science and technology on contemporary society, this research examines
the contemporary significance of studying ancient Chinese philosophy. Specifically, it explores whether axiology
[Jiazhi Lun 價值論] can serve as a paradigm or methodology, and investigates the possibility of analyzing the
theories of the Pre-Qin [先秦 Xian’qin] Eclectics in ancient China. The aim is to establish an axiological paradigm
that can be used to discuss and explore the compatibility of Chinese philosophy with modernity.
The research focuses on the Pre-Qin Eclectics as the primary subject and examines representative works
such as Lv's Spring and Autumn [Lvshi Chunqiu 呂氏春秋], Shi Zi [屍子], Guan Zi [管子], and Gong Sun Long Zi
[公孫龍子] to investigate the value philosophy conveyed in their content and the academic characteristics of the
Pre-Qin Eclectics. Drawing upon the historical development of axiology in different cultural contexts within
Chinese and Western philosophy, as well as the current research landscape among contemporary scholars, this
study adopts a cross-cultural perspective to compare the similarities and differences between Chinese and
Western approaches. It aims to contribute to the construction of an axiological paradigm in Chinese philosophical
research.
Contribution by drs. Li Mingyu (Ghent University)

◾Reconstruction of the “under Heaven” [Tianxia 天下] Nature of the “great unity” [Datong 大同] Theory
in Modern Times: Centering on the Theoretical Explorations of Liao Ping [廖平], Kang Youwei [康有為],
and Shen Aisun [沈艾孫]
Abstract: This article examines the theoretical explorations of Liao Ping [廖平], Kang Youwei [康有為], and
Shen Aisun [沈艾孫], emphasizing the significance of the modern "great unity" [Datong 大同] theory in redefining
the concept of "under Heaven" [Tianxia 天下]. Liao Ping [廖平] addresses the spatial limitations of Confucian
classics through his interpretation of the nine continents theory [Jiuzhou Shuo 九州說] and the system of the
royal capital and surrounding districts [Jifu Zhidu 畿輔制度]. Kang Youwei [康有為] puts forth the theory of Three
Generations of Sequential Evolution [Sanshi Shuo 三世說] to address the temporal constraints of Confucian
classics. Shen Aisun [沈艾孫] focuses on self-cultivation and Qi Zhiping's ideal, reaffirming the Confucian moral
ideal and placing education at its core. In the face of a rapidly changing world order, a review of the ideas put
forth by Liao Ping [廖平], Kang Youwei [康有為], and Shen Aisun [沈艾孫] remains instructive.
These three scholars approach the crisis of Confucianism's transformation from common sayings to local
culture in distinct ways, thereby reestablishing the universality and essence of Confucianism. Their theoretical
explorations seek to address China's challenges in the new era. While they all pursue the ideal of "great unity"
[Datong 大同], they differ in their paths and methods. This research aims to delve deeply into their theoretical
contributions, offering insights that can guide our reevaluation of the construction of the concept of "under
Heaven" [Tianxia 天下].
31
Day 1 Session 12
◾ Does a sound have Buddha-Nature?-Kegon thought and the aesthetics of sound
Daryl Jamieson(Assistant Professor, Department of Acoustic Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University)
In his 2013 book Homo audiens (English trans. 2022), composer and musicologist Jo
Kondo outlines his interpretation of music as the interrelationship between notes, each of which ‘has its own
entity and life’ and yet is only meaningful in relationship with other notes, an assertion which echoes 15th-century
nō composers Zeami’s and Zenchiku’s writings on the life and death of each note in a nō performance. Though
in his own writing Kondo restricts himself to the tradition of western aesthetics, in a 2023 interview he
acknowledges that his system of musical interpretation is rooted in the Kegon (華厳) Buddhist concept of Indra’s
Net (which illustrates the idea of ultimate reality as the ‘unimpeded interpenetration of phenomena and
phenomena’ jiji muge hokkai 事事無礙法界).
In this experimental paper, I will explore the aesthetic implications of this idea: is a listener’s interpretation of the
relationships between sounds in a musical work (‘work’ defined as broadly as possible, inclusive of all forms of
deep, active listening, from contemporary sound art to nō to Dōgen hearing a sūtra in the voices of monkeys)
merely a metaphor for the ‘unimpeded interpenetration of phenomena and phenomena’, or is it an example of it?
What are the implications for the interpretation of all types of music and sound art if sounds – like other non-
sentient (hijō 非情) phenomena such as water and mountains – have Buddha-nature (busshō 佛性)? And does
this interpretative frame have ethical implications for interpreters – listeners, composers, and performers – of
music and sound-art in this age of imminent environmental collapse?
Keywords for this paper

Kegon Buddhism, aesthetics of music, Japanese aesthetics, aesthetics of non-human sound,
aesthetics of nō
Keywords for my research in general
Aesthetics of music, aesthetics of non-human sound, Ueda Shizuteru, Kyoto School, aesthetics of nō,
Buddhahood of non-sentient beings (sōmokujōbutsu), Japanese aesthetics, mappõ (Dharma-ending age)
thought
◾ The Poet Monk Taixu: An Image Philosophical Analysis of “Wine and Tea” in His Poetry
Xiaoxiao XU(PhD Candidate, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University)
Wine (jiu 酒) and tea (cha 茶) are two of the most significant beverages in ancient and modern Chinese literature,
particularly in poetry. Taixu 太虛 (1890-1947), the renowned leader of modern Buddhist movements, was also a
poet who wrote over a thousand poems, many of which describe the making and drinking of wine and tea.
Through various processes such as wine making (niangjiu 釀酒), wine boiling (zhujiu 煮酒), tea washing (xicha
洗茶), and tea roasting (jiancha 煎茶), Taixu transcended the mundane world and returned to a state of nature.
This article aims to examine how the image of “wine and tea” became significant in Taixu’s poetry, the
relationship between the image and his Buddhist views, and his perception of the natural environment.
Additionally, this article will explore how Taixu expressed his personal emotions, both positive and negative,
through the narrative of this image. Through these discussions, we will illustrate how Taixu realized his identity
as a poet monk (shiseng 詩僧), a topic that has not been extensively explored by scholars, through the use of a
classic Chinese image “wine and tea” and the connection between his poetry and Buddhism, Confucianism, and
environmental philosophies. This article contributes to the fields of comparative philosophy, Buddhist studies,
and Chinese literature, providing insight into the intersection of artistic expression and spiritual practice.
Research Interests:My research interests center around the philosophy and literature of 20th-century China,
with a particular focus on Master Taixu’s Buddhist philosophy and his personal emotions as portrayed in his
literary works, specifically his poetry and fiction. By conducting a thorough analysis of his literary output, I aim
to illuminate the interplay between Buddhism, literature, and personal expression in Taixu’s work, and to offer
new insights into his distinctive viewpoint as a poet monk.
32
◾Panel title: Virtue Ethics in East Asian Philosophies
Dobin CHOI (Leiden University, Netherlands), dobinphil@gmail.com
Yosuke TAKEHANA (Fukuoka University, Japan), bambusblume1978@gmail.com
Ellie Hua WANG (National Chengchi University, Taiwan), huawang@nccu.edu.tw
LAM Wing Keung (Dokkyo University, Japan), kevin@dokkyo.ac.jp (Chair)
Panel abstract:
The aim of this organized panel is threefold. Firstly, it will explore the potential of East Asian philosophies through
the lens of virtue ethics. Secondly, it will revisit the discourse of virtue ethics postulated in the “West” from the
philosophical traditions across East Asia. Thirdly, it attempts to foster the intra-dialogue between East Asian
philosophies, especially their connections with virtue ethics. In doing so, this panel will include four papers,
namely, The Internal Principle of Virtue: Towards Mengzian Virtue Ethics (CHOI), Watsuji’s ethics as a role
theory：With a focus on his connection with virtue ethics (TAKEHANA), “Does Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics have the
Problem of Indirection?” (WANG), and “Harmony of Feelings: On Nishida Kitaro’s Feeling-to Approach to the
Good” (LAM).
Abstracts of the panelists

◾The Internal Principle of Virtue: Towards Mengzian Virtue Ethics
Dobin CHOI (Leiden University, Netherlands)
Contemporary virtue ethicists have sought to revive the importance of virtue within moral practices. While some
reform the ancient Greek tradition of cultivating virtue to achieve eudaimonia, others construct virtue ethical
theories based on modern philosophical literature, such as Hume’s and Nietzsche’s ideas on virtues. This article
first examines Aristotelian, Humean, and Nietzschean theories of virtue to highlight a common trend among
these theorists—the deliberate omission of the principles of determining virtue that original philosophers
considered significant: Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean, Hume’s emphasis on the pleasing sentiments of
spectators, and Nietzsche’s focus on self-fulfillment. Virtue ethical theories can be sustained with a general
consensus on the categories of virtue, but I think that the absence of a unifying principle for defining virtue
weakens its practical force, as well as reflects the diminished appeal of virtue in contemporary moral practices.
In this context, I argue that Mengzi’s account of virtue circumvents this problem of a deficient principle by
assuming a preexisting principle of virtue within human nature, which is exemplified by moral sentiments such
as compassion and shame, the “four sprouts.” Due to the presence of inherent principles of virtue, Mengzian
virtue ethics can provide greater coherence and practical appeal than other virtue ethical approaches. Moreover,
I outline several distinct characteristics of Mengzian virtue ethics. Firstly, unlike eudaimonism, it aims to enhance
the self without being egoistic, as it places emphasis on benevolence. Secondly, similar to Humean theory,
Mengzian virtue ethics considers spectators’ moral taste and sentiments in determining virtue, but rather
encourages self-evaluation through agents’ reflection on both sentiments of shame and approval for actual self-
cultivation. Thirdly, it illuminates authentic self-fulfillment through actual moral practice; unlike Nietzschean
perspectives, it does not advocate for disregarding inherited value systems, yet even promises a reward, such
as the flood-like qi.
◾Watsuji’s ethics as a role theory: With a focus on his connection with virtue ethics
TAKEHANA Yōsuke (Fukuoka University, Japan)
As is well known, Watsuji Tetsurō’s ethics is centered on the concept of “in-betweenness” (Aidagara 間柄). In
other words, Watsuji’s aim is to correct the modern fallacy that ethics should be discussed on the premise of an
isolated individual and to place the scene where ethics is established in the relationship between people, that is,
“Aidagara”. The purpose of this presentation is to clarify the potential of this Watsuji’s conception.
33
In this paper, I will focus on the proximity of Watsuji’s ethics to virtue ethics, which in recent years has become
increasingly prominent as a part of normative ethics along with utilitarianism and deontology. Considering its
orientation toward the “good life” in the community, its idea of the unity of fact and value in trust（信頼）,and,
above all, its emphasis on the concept of “virtue,” it seems quite possible to view his ethics as virtue ethics.
However, this presentation is not intended to read Watsuji’s thought through the lends of virtue ethics (it would
be impossible since the position of virtue ethics is diverse). Rather, my intention here is to use the conceptual
apparatus of virtue ethics in order to make Watsuji’s ethics comprehensible from a contemporary viewpoint and
then to capture what does not fit within that framework as the uniqueness of Watsuji’s position. The idea of this
presentation is that the element that does not fit within this framework is the idea of roles. In other words, the
concrete purpose of this presentation is to understand Watsuji’s ethics as a role ethics, so to speak, or as an
assertion of the internal linkage between the concepts of virtue and role.
◾Does Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics have the Problem of Indirection?

Ellie Hua WANG (National Chengchi University, Taiwan)
Xunzi’s is known for his view that human nature is “bad” – if without the interference of human effort, it will lead
to chaos and disorder. However, he, like other Confucians, emphasizes on the importance of virtue cultivation
and following the Dao, and on the ultimate ideal of becoming sages. His view thus involves a kind of moral
transformation from petty people (“bad” human nature) to sages (virtue). This position naturally raises the
question: how are petty people, given their bad nature, motivated to become virtuous? A popular reply to this
question is that this transformation is, in fact, beneficial to the agent in question as it best satisfies their desires
in the long run. Moreover, the fact that it brings the best satisfaction to the agent also justifies virtue cultivation
for the agent (Wong 1996, 2023; Hagen 2011). Even though this reply is consistent with some textual evidence,
it also faces difficulties. I address one of them here: the text shows that virtuous people do not seem to be
concerned with their own desires, in fact, they may even choose what they do not desire (e.g., death) for what
is right. Considering this, the justification of virtues (desire-satisfaction) differs from the motivation of the virtuous
in the desire-satisfaction interpretation of Xunzi. The separation of justification of the virtues and the motivation
of the agents in this case, I argue, suffers from what Swanton 2021 calls “the problem of indirection” for
eudaimonistic virtue ethics. In this paper, I argue that Xunzi’s virtue ethics need not suffer from the problem of
indirection since the point of virtues are not primarily about satisfying the agents’ desires, contrary to the desire-
satisfaction interpretation. Rather, virtues are for human to better grasp and respond to reality collectively, and
ultimately to achieve harmonious order. This paper also briefly presents an alternative interpretation of the Xunzi,
the “capacities in order” interpretation, to substantiate this view. It ends with a short exploration whether Xunzi’s
Virtue Ethics may be considered as a version of target centered virtue ethics defended by Swanton.
◾Harmony of Feelings: On Nishida Kitaro’s Feeling-to Approach to the Good

LAM Wing Keung (Dokkyo University, Japan)
This paper explores the potential of Nishida Kitaro’s feeling-to approach to the good, with special attention to his
understanding of harmony of feelings. Unlike the knowing-how, knowing-that concepts advocated by Ryle Gilbert,
and the knowing-to discourse proposed by Huang Yong, Nishida postulates a “feeling-to” approach, which
emphasizes moral feelings as the ground and are primary for the good (善). While Nishida echoes Aristotle’s
idea, eudaimonia, in many aspects, he follows Shaftesbury’s discourse of harmony for moral feelings toward the
good. Nishida suggests that one should go for the mean (中庸) through attaining the harmony of moral feelings.
Questions are: firstly, why do moral feelings weight more important for the good? Secondly, why and how do the
harmony of moral feelings is related to the mean? Thirdly, what lessons do Nishida’s harmony of feelings offer
for the good and moral philosophy?
Research interests of this organized panel

Virtue ethics, Role Ethics, Chinese Philosophy, Japanese Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy
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Day 2 Session 14
◾ Dao of AI
Monica VON BRECHT(Institute for Doctoral Studies in Visual Arts)
This paper investigates the intersection of Daoist philosophy and artificial intelligence (AI) from a
Heideggerian perspective. The author suggests that instead of focusing on whether AI can have human-like
consciousness, we should examine how it embodies Dao. By applying Heidegger's philosophical perspectives
to the ethical advancement of AI, we can establish a deeper connection between humans, technology, and our
environment. The author also discusses Heideggerian AI (HAI), which considers AI a technological challenge
that represents the culmination of Western metaphysics. HAI recognizes the significance of AI development in
shaping configurations and offering a feasible solution to mend the contemporary phenomenon of our
fragmented world.
This paper explores AI-generated art through the lens of Daoist-influenced Heideggerian theory and
investigates how it challenges and extends traditional artistic practices. Despite criticisms of HAI, contemporary
computational capabilities have surpassed previous findings. The author concludes that East Asian Daoist-
inspired philosophy facilitates our comprehension of the ontological manifestation of AI and how this emerging
technology is transforming the human condition. By taking a comparative approach, we can gain a deeper
appreciation of AI as a manifestation of our collective becoming and the universal neural network that connects
us all.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Heideggerian Artificial Intelligence (HAI), Daoism, technology, aesthetics
Research Interests:My primary research interests lie at the intersection of metaphysics, aesthetics and AI. My
latest independent study explores the profound implications of artificial intelligence on our understanding of our
perception of beauty, artistic expression, and cultural values, while also critically examining the ethical and
philosophical dimensions of AI-generated art. By engaging in comparative studies, I seek to uncover the diverse
perspectives and cultural nuances that influence our being-in-the-world. My research endeavors to contribute
to a deeper understanding of the evolving relationship between technology, aesthetics, and ontology, shedding
light on the transformative potential and challenges posed by technological advancements in the artistic realm.
◾ The abuse of power and the undermining of nature: the origins of the discourse against
"cleverness" 智 in "Zhuangzi"
FĂT MIHAI IONUŢ(Independent, PhD ( Peking University) )
In the context given by the continuity of the early Taoist heritage of thought, which begins with "Laozi" and
continues with "Zhuangzi", the discussion about power as a concept and the use of "intelligent devices" proposed
by other schools of thought in order to master it forms the core motivation for building a Taoist philosophical
discourse.
The present study aims to investigate how the opposition to the idea of using clever means, often emphasized
as zhi 智, "cleverness" (sometimes translated as "wisdom") in "Zhuangzi" , being an expression of a changing
"utilitarian" mind 机心 , contrary to the unchanging "perennial" mind 常心 , that can however result in a
technological developement of the human society , constitutes yet another way of criticizing the very concept of
power in its various forms. Much of the research previously conducted didn’t pay sufficient attention to this
particular association of ideas, while analysing the same textual material .The present analysis starts with a
focus on the well known examples found in the "Huanglao" chapters of the "Zhuangzi" corpus, particularly
"Heaven and Earth" 天地篇, tracing its relevance back to the related paragraphs in the Inner Chapters and much
earlier to Laozi’s "Daodejing".
The results of the research show that Zhuangzi and his successors perceived the relationship between
power and the use of intelligence as a form of abuse, with a devastating impact on what for the early Taoist
philosophers represented a natural state of things.
Research Interests:Early Taoist thought, Buddhism
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◾ Wuwei 無為 in the Zhuangzi: A Way to a Unique Human Experience
Andreas KERSCHBAUM(Humboldt University of Berlin, Department of Philosophy, Ph.D. Student)
Wúwéi 無為 is one of the key concepts to understanding ancient Chinese philosophy and in particular Daoism.
While the Dàodéjīng 道德經 (or: Lǎozǐ 老子) proclaims wuwei as a political maxim exclusive to rulers, the
Zhuānɡzǐ 莊子 extends its application to various Daoist sages and ordinary people. Although both texts feature
non-anthropocentric attributes, such as linking wuwei with dào 道 and water, the Zhuangzi strongly emphasizes
the human realm. Often translated as ‘non-action’ or ‘effortless action’, wuwei underscores the importance of
harmonious existence with the natural flow of life and the world by following the dao. It signifies a state where
individuals act spontaneously and effortlessly in a zìrán 自然 way, without striving or imposing desired outcomes.
This paper aims to explore the multidimensional nature of wuwei in the Zhuangzi, encompassing cosmic, political,
and personal aspects that intertwine within the text. I will argue that the unravelling of the intricate web of
multifaceted senses in the text reveals the Zhuangzian conception of a uniquely human experience. Embracing
wuwei enables individuals to cultivate effortless engagement, unlock heightened creativity and feel at ease and
content. Through an in-depth conceptual elucidation of wuwei in the Zhuangzi that includes key explicit and
implicit occurrences of the term, this paper illuminates its potential to cultivate a genuine human experience.
Research Interests:Chinese philosophy (especially Daoism); ancient Greek philosophy; philosophy of action;
aesthetics; history of philosophy; comparative philosophy
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Day 2 Session 15
◾ Seeing something as something else: The Logic of Mitate
Lorenzo Marinucci, Tohoku University (Associate Professor)
The aim of my paper is an analysis of the figural trope called mitate 見立て in the context of Japanese visual and
literary aesthetics. Through a structural or perspectival similarity, a first object is shown in a way that makes it
appear as a second, apparently very different one. The range of mitate goes from straightforward visual pun (a
red umbrella is meant to look as the red sun), up to the gravel in a Zen temple to be looked at as if it were flowing
water, or to the complex layering of parodic allusions by which a courtesan pictured in ukiyo-e is overlayed on a
female noblewoman from Genji monogatari. Based on a visual competency that closely resembles the “seeing
as” discussed by Wittgenstein in the Philosophical Researches, or the role of the analogon in Sartre’s
phenomenological study of imagination, mitate differs from allegory (since the similarity is meant to be perceived),
and metaphor/symbol, since the absent object is not signified by the visible one. Mitate is instead very often used
parodically, as an essentially playful expansion of the visual-expressive space. It can be defined as “visual irony”,
since it shows A through non-A: often the extreme difference of the two objects linked is meant to produce
laughter. Some of the most iconic instances of mitate belong to the Edo period, but it is still widely present in
Japanese pop culture.
◾ The line of the heart: calligraphy and aesthesis

Helen Magowan(PhD Student, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge)
This paper takes ‘following the brush’ literally, and examines the aesthetics of writing itself.
East Asia’s premodern texts form a vast corpus that is resistant to digital tools: brush writing does not submit to
modern methods of reading easily, but must be made legible - to both humans and machines - through
transcription, a process that AI is accelerating. The erasure of the human hand by typography isn’t simply a
change in the visual characteristics of a text however, but a rejection of important and intentional meanings that
do not fit the ways in which typography makes us think. In my PhD thesis I have avoided the language that
surrounds the ‘art’ of ‘calligraphy’ to explore and record some of the literary, affective and social meanings that
are erased by transcription.
In this the final year of my PhD, I happened to view a scroll. The engagement engendered bodily sensation and
affective response, and was a profoundly moving, deeply human experience which impelled me to turn to
phenomenology and aesthetics to attempt to account for the way brush writing might act on a reader. In a
machine age in which writing is reduced to a vessel for the transmission of words, this paper aims to examine
the brush as a tool which connects writer and reader in a way which transcends text as a mere materialisation
of language.
Research Interests:Premodern Japanese culture and gender; premodern Japanese language, literature,
linguistics and art; calligraphy; graphematics, script and the linguistics of writing.
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◾ PICTURE AS A SYMBOL OF THE UNFATHOMABLE. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE
AESTHETICS OF JOHANN GOETHE (1749-1832) AND SHEN ZONGQIAN (1736-1820)
Aleksandra Czarny(Institute for the History of Art, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland)
The paper aims to offer a comparative analysis between the Daoist aesthetics of the Qing dynasty and the Sturm
und Drang theory of painting with a particular focus on Shen Zongqian 沈宗骞 (1736-1820) and Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe (1749-1832). Both theorists believed that painting should be symbolical rather than allegorical,
conveying the unfathomable spirit (chuanshen 傳神, for Shen) of nature, and eventually – the general idea (daoli
道理, for Shen) through artistic representation of a particular natural phenomenon. In doing so, the artist should
not follow any method or school, but rather her afflation, without knowing in advance the final result of her creative
act. Importantly, for both thinkers picture does not refer to some external spirituality, but embodies it intrinsically
and insolubly in an otherwise untransferable way. The main difference between Goethe and Shen regards the
source of afflation, and the former’s idea of soul, whose preconceptions are viewed by Shen as an obstacle to
apprehension of the spiritual dimension of reality. The paper concludes with an insight into other differences
between these two unexpectedly resemblant conceptions in terms of their attitude toward the role of color and
the relationship between painting and poetry.
Research Interests: comparative aesthetics, theory of painting, recontextualization of art
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Day 2 Session 16
◾ A Confucian Democracy: Joshua Wen-Kwei Liao’s (1905–1952) Intellectual Itinerary from Moral
Propagation to State-building
Kuan-Wei WU(Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany)
Parallel to the New Confucian Manifesto (1958) in terms of democratic development from Confucian virtue,
Joshua Wen-Kwei Liao ( 廖文奎 , 1905-1952), as a Taiwanese essayist and activist active in East Asian
intellectual circles in the early twentieth century, had earlier formulated and proposed his political discourse of
Confucian democracy. Characterising the Confucian moral canons, The Great Learning and The Doctrines of
the Mean, with the political doctrines of the Chinese Nationalists in terms of nationalism and liberalism, Joshua
Liao proposed a version of Confucian democracy that advanced moral propagation to modern state-building: 1.)
intellectuals should be the social guidance of society; 2.) moral conscience should be the most important factor
in cultivating and enculturating individual behaviour and social solidarity; 3.) Confucian virtues should strengthen
the civility and autonomy of citizenship in accordance with the democratic development of constitutionalism and
civil rights. 4) good government should be based on the moral principles of Confucian virtues with democratic
values. In terms of such a moral (and aesthetic) judgement, whereas Liao proclaimed a political divergence from
the Chinese Republic in the postwar period, this paper will examine Joshua Liao’s political discourse on how a
democratic state-building should develop from the Chinese Confucian virtues, by reviewing his works in the
1930s and 1940s, including his books Bijiao Gongmin Xunlian 比較公民訓練 (1936 [1946]) and Rensheng
Zhexue Zhi Yanjiu 人生哲學之研究 (1936), Formosa Speaks (1950), with some essays “Sixiang Guangfu Lun 思
想光復論” (1946), “Quo Vadis Formosa?” (1946), “Imperialism vs. Nationalism in Formosa” (1947), “Chinese
Philosophy and Politics 1853-1905” (1948), and so forth.
Research Interests:intellectual history, political and social philosophy, East Asian philosophy
◾ Incarnation and the Unity of Heaven and Humans: Zia Nai-zin’s Christian Reinterpretation of
Zhongyong
Andrew Ka Pok Tam(University of Glasgow)
Zia Nai-zin 謝乃壬, Xie Fu-ya or Hsieh Fu-yah 謝扶雅 (1892-1991), a remarkable Chinese Christian philosopher,
theologian, and translator, developed his unique philosophy of ‘In-ism’ 唯中論 from the 1960s to 1980s to
indigenize Christianity into the ideal ‘Chinese Christianity’ 中華基督教 . Zia declared that the essence of
Confucianism is the concept of Zhong 中 (neutrality, avoidance of extremes) and compared the Confucian
teaching of the unity of Heaven and Human beings 天人合一 with the Christian Christology, which argues that
Jesus Christ is the unity of divinity and humanity. Zia further criticised that New Confucians emphasize the way
of humans over the way of Heaven, while the Christian doctrine of incarnation balanced both divinity ad humanity
and achieved the unity of Heaven and Human beings.
While Zia’s reinterpretation of the Doctrine of the Mean is controversial, following Jana Rošker’s method
of sublation, this paper aims to evaluate whether Zia’s Christian reinterpretation of Zhongyong 中庸 has
successfully sublated Confucianism and Christianity. I argue that although Zia’s interpretation of Zhongyong
contains certain philological flaws, overall, he successfully produced new insights enriching both Christianity and
Confucianism by grounding both on the same ontological ground of Zhong.
Keywords
Zhongyong, Christianity, Confucianism, Hsieh Fu-ya, Chinese philosophy
39
◾ Addressing Online Political Polarization through a Confucian Perspective
Joseph Emmanuel STA. MARIA (Pronounced “Santa Maria”)(Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Faculty
of Technology, Policy, and Management (TPM), Department of Values, Technology, and Innovation (VTI),
Ethics/Philosophy of Technology section)
My paper explores how Confucian philosophy can be used to mitigate political polarization in social media. From
a Confucian perspective, political polarization endangers human flourishing because it can prevent interpersonal
propriety (li 禮) and social harmony (he 和). However, Confucian philosophy also has ideas for reducing political
polarization in the social media space. The paper presents three of these ideas. The first is to use familial care
as a model for caring for others. This can inspire design features in social media that prompt users to treat people
with opposite political leanings as if they were family members or intimates. This can arguably promote empathy
or understanding between opposing partisans. The second is Mencius’ idea of the goodness of human nature.
This can inspire design features that prompt users to treat opposing partisans charitably and in good faith
precisely because they share a common human nature with them that, despite negative external influence, can
still incline towards moral goodness. The third is the idea that Confucians did not view language mainly as a
means to accurately represent reality but as a means to shape behavior. This can be used as a strategy to
mitigate political polarization. Social media users can choose to communicate with opposing partisans in such a
way that their main goal is not to determine who is right or wrong between them (thus stimulating polarization).
Rather, their aim would be to promote respectful and open-minded interaction between each other.
Research Interests: Classical Chinese philosophy, Confucian Ethics, Philosophy of Technology, Comparative
Philosophy
40
Day 2 Session 17
◾ The World of Things: Wang Fuzhi’s Critique of ‘Heresies’ and the Inner Tension of Confucianism
Xiaozhou Zou(Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University)
The issue of actuality creates a tension within Confucianism. On the one hand, Song and Ming Confucian literati
emphasize the term gewu 格物 (investigation of things) in the Great Learning to highlight that the pursuit of
ultimate order cannot be separated from actuality, such as material conditions. This view is used to criticize
Buddhism and Daoism as ‘heresies’ that regards the actual world as an obstacle. On the other hand, Confucian
literati are wary of the desires that can arise from things. It is thus difficult for Confucian scholars to get a balanced
position between material conditions supplied by things, and desires aroused by things.
Wang Fuzhi 王夫之 (1619-1692) criticized the ‘heresies’ and the Neo-Confucianism influenced by them by
emphasizing ‘things’ in the relationship between the Dao and things. He sought to affirm the premise of secular
life in the ideal moral-political order. However, Wang Fuzhi’s critique did not dispel the tension within
Confucianism about the issue of actuality. Instead, it highlighted the hesitation and accommodation of
Confucianism between the ‘world of Dao’ and the ‘world of things.’ His attempt to ground his entire philosophical
thinking in the ‘world of things’ was a return of Confucianism to actuality. Wang Fuzhi’s philosophical thought is
not a ‘modern transformation’ of Confucian thought as some scholars asserted but is consistent with modern
China’s ideology that emphasizes the pragmatic and profitable aspects of things.
Research Interests:I am a PhD researcher affiliated with the ‘East Asian Culture in Perspective: Identity,
Historical Consciousness, Modernity’ research group at Ghent University. At present, I am conducting a doctoral
research project titled ‘The notion of things and the transformation of seventeenth-century Chinese philosophy.’
This project which I started in 2020, more precisely, deals with the development of the interpretation of the notion
of ‘things’ (wu 物) in Chinese philosophy. Focus is on how seventeenth-century thinkers conceived the relation
between human practice and ‘the world of things.’ It is shown how in so-called ‘Solid Learning’ (shixue 實學)
different understandings of ‘things’ were put forward, revealing the intertwined problems of modernity and cultural
continuity, and the search for ‘scientific knowledge’ and a ‘modern political order.’
◾儒家思想对伊斯兰教的影响——以明清时期回儒的著作为例
The influence of Confucianism on Islam——Taking the writings of Huiru in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
as an example
MAIHEMUTI MAIRIPAITI (Department of Philosophy and Religious studies, Peking University (Ph.D)/Faculty
of Arts, Department of sinology, KU Leuven (International Scholar -Present))
明清时期产生了“回儒”，他们将阿拉伯语和波斯语的伊斯兰教著作翻译成中文，创造了具有双重文化特点的伊斯
兰教汉文译著，这个学术活动被称作“以儒诠经”。本文的研究对象是回儒的著作，旨在通过哲学分析讨论回儒著
作中的儒家思想。笔者从回儒产生的历史背景出发，讨论回儒的双重文化属性，并重点讨论伊斯兰教义与儒家义
理的结合。通过回儒著作中有关本体论、宇宙论、人性论和伦理道德的内容，分析儒家思想对伊斯兰教的影响。
文章最后讨论儒家思想家对回儒和伊斯兰教的观点，并以此分析回儒的“以儒诠经”是有效的、有意义的。
文章结构：
1. 回儒的“以儒诠经”运动
1.1 回儒产生背景
1.2 以儒诠经路径
2. 伊斯兰教义与儒家义理
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2.1 术语的翻译
2.1 伊斯兰教义的诠释
3. 士大夫的回应——以刘智著作中的序言为例
3.1 王泽弘为《天方性理》写序言
3.2 徐氏父子为《天方性理》《天方典礼》作序
4. 结论
English Abstract (for reference)
"Huiru" refers to a group of Muslim scholars who emerged during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Their notable
contribution lies in translating Islamic works from Arabic and Persian into Chinese. As the traditional mainstream
culture of China, Confucianism is the ideological culture that has had the greatest influence on Islam in the
process of Sinicization. Huiru used Neo-Confucianism to interpret Islam, which has been called "以儒诠经
"“Interpretation of Islam by Confucianism" in Chinese academic research.
The research object of this paper is the writings of Hui Confucianism, aiming to discuss the Confucianism in Hui
Confucian writings through philosophical analysis. Beginning with an examination of the historical backdrop of
Huiru, the article delves into the dual cultural background that shaped their perspectives. By focusing on the
amalgamation of Islamic teachings and Confucian principles, the article analyzes the influence of Confucianism
on Islam through the exploration of ontology, cosmology, human nature, and ethics within Huiru's works.
Research Interests:The evolution and adaptation strategies of Hui Muslims in the complex cultural background
of China; Religious dialogue between Confucianism and Islam
◾ Reshaping Confucian Ritualism in Modern China: Zhang Taiyan’s Philosophical Interpretation on

Ritual (li, 禮)
PARK Woohui(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Since the late Qing, feudal ritualism (fengjian lijiao) has been deemed the main culprit of the
backwardness in Chinese society. The concept of li (禮), primarily translated as ritual or appropriateness held a
pivotal position in Confucianism; however, Chinese scholars sought to replace or modify it during the
transitional period. Zhang Taiyan (章太炎), a notable scholar in the wings of the Revolution Party, criticized the
threads of thought that could undermine people’s freedom in the name of an ideology as an external
compulsion. Nevertheless, he was still influenced by traditional heritage. While rejecting the excessive pursuit
of public morality (gongde), Zhang proposed an ethical framework for individual morality (side) based on “ritual”
as moral aspect. How was Zhang’s in-depth expertise in ritual studies transformed into a new appearance as a
means of revolution?
To investigate the transformation of idea on li in modern China, I will begin with specifying the
connotations of “ritual” through the analysis of his essays, such as “The Discourse on the Hierarchy of Rituals”
and “The Revolutionary Morality”, dividing into two aspects: appropriateness as morality and ritual as an
institution. The study delves into the issues discovered in his essays concerning historicity and temporality of
rituals. Finally, I consider how Zhang reconciled the two-fold concept with his revolutionary ethical theory with
an emphasis on li as morality. This will provide insight into how the notion of ritual with diverse aspects has
been reshaped in conjunction with social transition.
Research Interests:Confucianism in the nineteenth and twentieth century China, Modern Chinese Philosophy
42
Day 2 Session 18
◾ The Similar Roles of Debate and Paradoxical Language in Buddhist Philosophy
CHAN Chu Kwan(Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburgz)
This paper explores the role of paradoxical language in Chinese Buddhist Philosophy. It suggests that, instead
of expressing a paraconsistent metaphysical reality, the primary role of paradoxical language is similar to the
one of debate in the Tibetan Gelugpa school. The Gelugpa monastic curriculum uses philosophical debate to
provoke an irreplaceable experience for realising Emptiness, the ultimate reality that nothing has intrinsic
existence. The Gelugpa takes the aesthetic experiences of philosophical debates on some specific Buddhist
themes to be transformative. These experiences are necessary for one to understand and thus embody
Emptiness fully. If we take Emptiness as a philosophical doctrine, the Gelugpa curriculum will further imply that
we comprehend some philosophies only with the corresponding aesthetic transformative experience. Sharing
the same root and soteriological goal, paradoxical language in Chinese Buddhist Philosophy is likely playing a
similar role. This religious application may broaden our restricted imagination of philosophy and its use. Also,
understanding its role helps us better interpret its philosophies, especially those in koan and huatou in Chan
Buddhism. This paper first introduces the application of paradoxical language in Chinese Buddhism and the
Tibetan Gelugpa monastic curriculum. Then, it presents a brief account of Tsongkhapa’s view of Emptiness and
their debate practices. It gives a theoretical explanation of the curriculum. Finally, it concludes with possible
implications for the role of paradoxical language in Chinese Buddhist Philosophy.
Research Interests:Buddhist Philosophy
◾ Zhang Taiyan’s Asianism Based on Yogacara Buddhism: Beyond AI’s comprehension Prakriti
MUKHERJEE(PhD Student in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau,
China, S.A.R.)
At this conference, we are dealing with questions like “What is left for philosophy once machines can write? What
is left for humans once machines can think?”
In my paper, I will use the examples of Zhang Taiyan’s essays to showcase the unique way of his creation. He
used Yogacara Buddhism to link Asian countries, especially China, Japan, and India, to fight colonialism during
the late 19 and early 20 centuries. I want to suggest "Asianism" as an alternative to the Pan-Asianist view, as
th th
authors such as Viren Murthy told. I think Zhang Taiyan’s vision was much broader. His thoughts were based on
Humanity, Society, Religion and Culture. Yogacara Buddhism is believed to have aided his thoughts. However,
one should remember that Zhang was well-versed in Confucianism, Daoism, and Yogacara Buddhism.
Consequently, his writings are formed while combining his knowledge of the three traditions. AI has become an
inevitable part of our lives, and we might be increasingly dependent on AI in the future. While I understand the
perspective, I disagree with the notion that AI can be more creative than a philosopher. It is my opinion that
comprehending and deciphering the works of Zhang Taiyan may prove to be a challenging task for AI. AI can
assist in reading and translating essays, but comprehending the true essence of Zhang's writing requires the
cognitive abilities of a human brain. My paper seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of works such as
Zhang Taiyan's, highlighting the pros and cons of utilizing AI technology.
Keywords: Yogacara Buddhism, Artificial Intelligence, Humanity, Culture, Asianism.
Research Interests:My main area of interest is Chinese philosophy, language, and culture. Currently, I am
studying Zhang Taiyan's writings that deal with Yogacara Buddhism.
43
◾ Buddhist Various Interpretations of Dream
Seongho Choi(Leipzig University)
The dream is one of the popular metaphors used by Buddhists. Previous studies have found that Buddhists have
developed not a single but multiple thoughts based on analyzing the experience of dreams. I will introduce three
usages of the dream:
1. Considering it as a prophecy
2. Comparing it to the rebirth experience
3. Using it as philosophical evidence of idealism or phenomenalism
I will then explore how these statements inspired Asian Buddhist philosophers and examine the philosophical
strength and weakness that the metaphor of dream implies. For this research, I will mainly use
the Bhavasaṃkrāntisūtra (zhuanyou jing 轉有經), the Viṃśatikāvṛtti (Weishi ershi lun 唯識二十論), and their
multiple translations and commentaries.
44
Day 2 Session 19
◾ The land of immortals in Chinese art of the 20th and 21st century
Klaudia ĎURAJKOVÁ(Palacky University, Olomouc)
A vast number of archaisms occurring in Chinese art of the 20th and 21st century is rooted in thought and
philosophy. Particularly frequent are the motifs and symbolism related to the Daoist concept of immortality. In
Chinese art, besides the depictions of mythological creatures and floral or animal imagery symbolizing longevity
and eternal life, is this theme represented mainly through paintings of the land of immortals. This thought
centuries recycled motif has become the source of inspiration for several modern and contemporary artworks
and while the meaning and context in which the realm of immortals is depicted vary from artist to artist, some of
its aesthetic qualities remain mostly unchanged. The purpose of this paper is to is to present different ways of
artistic rendering of the land of the immortals and to describe how is this archaic motif reinterpreted in
contemporary works of art.
Keywords: land of immortals, archaism in Chinese art, contemporary Chinese painting, taoist art
Research Interests:contemporary Chinese painting, archaisms in modern and contemporary Chinese art
◾ How Art as Experience Renders this World Real: Exploring Image Formation Principles in 17th
Century Chinese Aesthetic Theories and Artistic Practice
Polina LUKICHEVA(University of Zurich, Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies)
In my presentation, I will explore case studies from 17th-century China focusing on aesthetic theories and
artistic practices. By connecting them with corresponding epistemological theories, such as Buddhist theories
of mind, I aim to reconstruct the principles of image formation characteristic to the Chinese pictorial paradigm.
Based on these reconstructions, I will present a central thesis that artistic and creative processes were
perceived as generative processes that organize and synthesize environmental features into objects and
orders of a meaningful world. Artistic creation was thus identified with the functioning of perception, which
entailed actively managing one's immediate environment.
In Chinese sources, the process of image formation is described in a manner akin to self-cultivation or
contemplation practices. It entails various conditions and factors converging to form a particular state of the
world (=an image). These conditions and factors include physical parameters from the environment, sensory
modalities, and a process of ordering concrete physical stimuli through visuo-motor control, attentional focus,
orientation shifts, and integration of past experiences and mental imagery. Pictorial images, therefore, reflect
the actual process of image formation while representing the state of the world resulting from these processes.
This stands in contrast to the notion of an image as a representation of an externally or internally "given" world.
In summary, these reconstructions reveal a logic of perceiving and understanding the world in terms of
processes and observed action-effect regularities. Additionally, I will propose ways to further study these
aesthetic experiences in conjunction with cognitive science, emphasizing their perpetual relevance to human
understanding.
Research Interests:
• Chinese philosophy, culture, and art history
• Human cognition and (aesthetic) experience
• Comparative epistemology
• Philosophy of mind
• Buddhist theories of consciousness
• Theories of representation and image formation
• Cultural studies
45
◾ Expressing the Inexpressible: Asian Aesthetics and Madhubani Folk- Art
Swasti Alpana(Assistant Professor, Department of History, Satyawati College, University of Delhi)
Asian aesthetics concerning arts primarily comes from philosophical ideas. Historically, Asia encompasses an
enormous range of cultural diversity, with philosophical traditions going back to time immemorial. In many Asian
traditions value focuses on human well-being. In Daoism and Shintoism – and arguably Buddhism and
Confucianism, divinity is not transcendent but immanent. In this context, Indian philosophy of arts or aesthetics
embodies the same thought. Throughout Asia there is little dichotomization of mind and body, of spiritual and
material. This paper investigates the philosophical study of art and the elaboration of criteria of arts and in nature
from the perspective of classical Chinese philosophy of aesthetics in comparison with Madhubani folk- art of
India. Aesthetics in Confucianism holds the idea of ren (human-heartedness) as the essential attribute to
beauty.
The art form globally known as Madhubani or Mithila is an exclusively feminine school of Indian folk tradition.
Conveyed by oratory, preserved by memory, passed on by legacy, this art is a cultural tradition that has been
passed from mother to daughter over centuries thus keeping the art alive like an eternal spring. Like the
Confucius’s thought of aesthetic order, Madhubani folk- art features a holistic syncretic process, highlighting joy,
harmony, and a dynamic cultural tradition intertwined with moral and aesthetic goodness. This comparative study
will hopefully bring to light differences and similarities between two traditions.
Keywords –Madhubani, Confucius, Aesthetic, folk
Research interests: SOCIAL HISTORY AND ART AND GENDER STUDIES
46
Day 2 Session 20
◾ The Role of Creativity in Confucian Philosophy
Gloria LUQUE MOYA(Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga (Spain))
The Confucian school of thought has been perceived by many Westerners as a rigid tradition focused on
maintaining harmony and fulfilling one's role in society. In this way, the individual has been understood in relation
to others, and their personal interests, emotions or creations have been subordinated to the balance and well-
functioning of society. However, Confucian philosophy is not a systematic thought, but an open, emergent and
contextual one in which creativity plays an important role.
This paper attempts to show the role of creativity in Confucianism in order to develop a different kind of
interpretation that focuses on the human ability to invent new ways of interacting. First, I analyse the Confucian
tradition from an aesthetic approach that emphasises the human ability to create new patterns of action. Second,
I consider a sense of creativity expressed in the continuity of personal experience and the world through the
notion of cheng (誠). Finally, I show how this approach deserves further attention today, because although
creativity is a fashionable topic in academic discourse, we live in a world in which new tools of artificial intelligence
seem to collapse our inventive capacities.
Research Interests: Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, Comparative Philosophy
◾ Yi and He: The Two Walkings of the Confucian Aesthetic Order

Zhen Liang(Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Sweet Briar College)
Confucian philosophy is especially suited for making sense of the unique particularities of human
experience, as the goal of Confucianism is not to impose pre-established laws or orders onto human societies,
but to let immanent aesthetic orders emerge out of our very own particular lived experiences. Contrary to the
rational order, which is transcendent, universal, and pre-determined, aesthetic orders are immanent, particular,
and emergent. In this paper, I would like to explore the two concepts central to the forming of aesthetic orders in
Confucian philosophy – yi 義 (appropriateness) and he 和 (harmony). Confucius uses yi and he together to
safeguard our lived experiences from being subsumed under rigid logic orders imposed externally, which
ensures the unique authenticity of aesthetic living of each human community.
Yi pertains to the production of meaning in our concrete living experiences discursively. Confucius
employs yi to justify deviating from norms and traditions, to criticize rigid adherence to principles, and to assess
whether someone achieved authoritative humanity (ren 仁). He, on the other hand, speaks the non-discursive
harmonious feeling when meaning is appropriately produced. Confucians rely on he to determine the efficacy of
ritual practices, and promote its cultivation through the study of music and the Odes. Yi and he must be aided
by each other for the aesthetic order to emerge: In the art of contextualizing that we call human life, we depend
on yi to analyze the situation so that concrete meaning can be produced, and we defer to he to relate the situation
as a whole to assure the meaning produced is proper. The cyclical interplay of yi and he constitutes the
mechanism of aesthetic production in Confucian philosophy.
47
◾ The Role of Philosophy in Economic Advancement: A Reflection from the Perspectives of Holistics
with Some References to R. M. Martin’s Models of Systematic Semiotics
Victor Lux Tonn(Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, USA)
By taking China and the U.S. as examples, this paper intends to scrutinize the role of philosophy in the economy
from the framework of holistics.
In the West, the philosophical foundation of the economy of capitalism / socialism is perceived as the
ontology of mind and matter. In contrast, the philosophical foundation of the economy of hybrid Confucianism of
East Asia is constructed as the grand ontology comprising the “meontology” of tao and chi and the ontology of
mind and matter, which are integrated by the central forces of Universal Freedom/Transcendence. In simple
words, individualism and collectivity are compatible under the central dominance force of mutuality emanating
from the meontology of tao and chi, with all logically embedded in the underlying forces of Universal Freedom
/Transcendence.
In a sense, China is future- and space-oriented, whereas the U.S. is relatively present- and earth-oriented.
The root causes of these orientations are embedded in the grand ontology (underlying China’s culture) and the
ontology (underlying the American culture) respectively, while their manifestations are conditioned by the real
world. The in-depth differences between the economic trajectories of China and the U.S. shall be carefully
traced.
One of the key points of this paper is to clarify the grand ontology (or system of Universal Origin (宇宙本
源系統系統) developed in holistics. Somewhat similar to and yet essentially different from mathematics, holistics
is a research discipline of humanities and socio-political and economics studies. A brief table of this grand
ontology shall be provided. Toward the end of this paper, some elements of the semiotic model of God and
primordial obligations developed by R. M. Martin (1980) shall be absorbed to enrich connotation of holistics. And
from this new development, Martin Heidegger’s existential world of Being and Time (Sein und Zeit) shall be
somewhat touch upon.
Keywords. Applied philosophy, Economies, holistics, meontology, grand ontology, semiotics, China, the U.S.,
universal hegemonic competition
48
Day 2 Session 21
◾ Apelletic Agency: Explicating the Pyrrhonist’s Ataraxia with Zhuangzi
Matthew DuPree(Florida State University)
Foremost among the aims of the ancient Pyrrhonists was attaining ataraxia—freedom from
perturbation. This freedom is usually approached in a purely psychological register; to be free from perturbation
just is to achieve a radical calm. However, this yields an objectionable result. In his How to be a Pyrrhonist,
Richard Bett suggests that if the Pyrrhonist were to find another way of attaining that calm—such as taking a
pill—then he would opt for that. A purely psychological result can be attained by other means; as such, there are
only paltry connections between the Pyrrhonist’s philosophical practice and its results—the sort that might be
easily supplanted.
To avoid this, I argue that ataraxia should be understood as indexing not just a positive calm, but a spontaneous
mode of immersed agency upon which that calm depends. I show this by appealing to elements of the Daoist
tradition—especially the concept of wuwei, or effortless action, as it appears in the Zhuangzi. A certain narrative
isomorphism between Zhuangzi’s tale of Butcher Ding and Sextus Empiricus’ tale of Apelles the painter suggests
that just as Zhuangzi advocates for a spontaneous mode of action that is attentive to the charismatic potency of
what appears, so too does Sextus. Once this is shown, we may avoid the objectionable result by reflecting on
the firm links among Pyrrhonian practice, the Pyrrhonist’s agency, and the tranquility that takes that agency as
its ground.
Research Interests:Agency (action, freedom, moral responsibility), ancient Skepticism, and Daoism
◾ Lao Zi’s Dao and Logical Negation

Sabrina Hao(PhD candidate at the philosophy department of University of Pittsburgh, United States)
I propose a metaphysical understanding of Dao in Lao Zi's monumental work, Dao De Jing, relating to the logical
concept of negation as well as some set theoretic concepts in western philosophy. I observe that Lao Zi thinks
that all properties in the world is binary in nature—that a property can always be negated, such as beauty and
not beauty, long and not long. This is similar to set-theoretical definition of properties in western philosophy, and
the negation can be understood as the complement set. However, Dao, as the ultimate and eternal truth of the
world, cannot be negated. Lao Zi does not seem to think that the ultimate falsehood of the world exists, but one
only deviates further and further from Dao. Relating to set theory, Dao can be understood as the universal set
that has the complement set as the null set. There are two different concepts of truth here: one is Dao, which is
one-valued and metaphysically prior; the other one is the ordinary truth, which can be negated resulting in
falsehood, and is thus two-valued and metaphysically derived. Unlike western logic, this metaphysical and set-
theoretical picture does not run into the problem of paradoxes, since a paradox requires the concepts of truth
and falsehood, and Dao is metaphysically prior to the concept of negation, thus no paradox can be formulated
to impair the concept of Dao as the universal set.
Research Interests: Chinese Philosophy, Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Physics
49
◾ MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE OF MUSIC IN XI KANG
Dawid ROGACZ(Department of Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland)
The paper aims to demonstrate that the idea of the human relationship to musical harmony in Xi Kang’s 嵇康
(223–262) Shengwu ai-le lun 聲無哀樂論 successfully meets the definition of mystical experience. By rejecting
the ineffective and anachronistic division into Daoist religion and philosophy, the paper explores underexamined
elements of Xi Kang’s aesthetics. It is shown that, following Laozi’s idea of the Great Sound and Zhuangzi’s
concept of Heavenly music, Xi Kang assumes that the experience of musical harmony is ineffable and non-
representational, transcending the limits of the human realm and thus requires the emptying of one’s mind and
its inner feelings. Xi Kang’s arguments targeted at the Confucian view of music as representing the feelings of
the people were, as a result, rooted in a positive standpoint on the non-representational nature of harmony and
the non-intentional character of musical experience, followed by the belief in “categorial” separation between
heart-mind and Great Harmony, namely the Dao of the universe.
Research Interests: Chinese aesthetics, Confucianism, Chinese philosophy of history
50
◾Panel title: Absolute Dialetheism in the Kyoto School and its Precursors
Dennis PROOI (Chair: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
Gregory S. MOSS (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Panel abstract:
Dialetheism, as defined by Graham Priest, is the thesis that there are true contradictions. In his recent book
Hegel’s Foundation Free Metaphysics (2020), Gregory S. Moss has coined the term “absolute dialetheism” to
signify the more specific thesis that 1) the absolute exists; and 2) that it can only be known as a true contradiction.
This panel has two aims. The first one is to establish that Nishida Kitarō (1870-1945) and Nishitani Keiji (1900-
1990), two philosophers comprising the core of the Kyoto School, defend rational and mystical absolute
dialetheism, respectively. That is, while Nishida thinks that the contradictory character of the absolute can be
successfully articulated in logical form, Nishitani denies this possibility and advances the view that the truth of
the absolute demands transcending logic. The second aim of this panel is to demonstrate that Nishida and
Nishitani have an important precursor in Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1903), who demonstrably exerted a certain
degree of influence on both of them. In his 1895 Draft for a Skeleton of a Philosophy of Other-Power (他力門哲
学骸骨) Kiyozawa shows himself to similarly be an absolute dialetheist. Through an elucidation of the essential
features of the absolute dialetheism that lies at the heart of modern Japanese philosophy we hope to show its
enduring relevance for absolute thinking today.
◾Kiyozawa Manshi’s Absolute Dialetheism

Dennis PROOI (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
In this paper, I argue that sections two to five of the Draft for a Skeleton of a Philosophy of Other-Power
demonstrate Kiyozawa Manshi to in the context of modern Japanese philosophy be an early (if not the earliest)
proponent of absolute dialetheism. In that text, section two invokes the ontological proof to establish that the
absolute exists, fulfilling the first criteria of absolute dialetheism. Section three proceeds to argue that for any A,
the unlimited (無限) is the synthesis with its opposite, ¬A. Section four shows this to lead to the fundamental
contradiction (根本の撞着) that the absolute must at once (即) be one and many, for the limited and the unlimited
are singular (体同一), while the limited is plural. Since as section five argues the limited and the unlimited are
concepts that are marked internally by contradiction, and concepts are what are used to know the absolute,
Kiyozawa’s absolute can only be known as a true contradiction, fulfilling the second criteria of absolute
dialetheism. I end by showing how absolute dialetheism allows Kiyozawa to draw the practical conclusion that
the mutually exclusive gates of self-power and other-power are conceptually rooted in conflicting but
simultaneously valid forms of faith (信仰).
◾From Nishida’s Logic of Paradox to Nishitani’s Mysticism

Gregory S. MOSS (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
My aim is to defend absolute dialetheism and argue that there are only two feasible approaches to absolute
thinking: rational and mystical dialetheism. Because each of these views is advanced by central figures of the
Kyoto School, I explore these fundamental options in thinking by investigating key texts where these ideas
arise. In his mature work, Nothingness and the Religious Worldview, Nishida Kitarō advances a theory of totality
through a dialectical logic of paradox. I argue that this logic of paradox operates via a logic of self-referential
predication, that draws deeply upon Hegel’s logic. While Nishida advocated a form of mysticism from his early
Inquiry into the Good, all the way through his Basho essay, the logic of paradox in Nothingness and the Religious
Worldview aims to refute the mysticism he endorsed earlier in his career. By reconstructing the central idea of
this logic of the absolute, scholars can better appreciate the problem of mysticism in Nishida’s intellectual
trajectory. Finally, I compare Nishida’s logical form of absolute dialetheism with his student, Keiji Nishitani. In his
seminal Religion and Nothingness, Nishitani denies that logic can capture absolute truth. Indeed, Nishitani
argues that the absolute can only be grasped by transcending logic, and via religious practice.
51
Day 2 Session 23
◾ Benevolence as a Path: Revealing Human Uniqueness in the Potential Relationship with Artificial
Intelligence
Shiqi CAI(University of Edinburgh, Asian Study), Chuxuan ZHANG(University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College
of Art) [joint paper]
The emergence of artificial intelligence, exemplified by its application in sophisticated human-driven language
models like ChatGPT, has posed significant challenges to its relationship with humans. In this paper, we shed
light on the potential AI-human relationship by employing Wang Yangming’s 王阳明 (1472-1529) concept of
benevolence (“ren”), the central concept of which is the capacity to feel and understand others—both living and
non-living entities. This paper aims to evaluate the validity of Wang Yangming’s notion of benevolence within
humans' contemporary and uncertain relationship with artificial intelligence. This resultant uncertainty can be
compared to the field of Cybernetics, which perceives humans as organisms that share certain similarities with
machines in terms of communication and cybernetics. Consequently, the figures of embodied cyborgs
(cybernetic organisms) have become visual representations for investigating the relationship between humans
and machines. We use the cyborg figure in "Good Hunting" (from Love, Death and Robots, 2019) as a case
study to explore the influence of benevolence on machines. Specifically, we focus on the narration and visual
signs of how humans treat machines and in turn how machines respond to humans. This research advocates
that the capacity for benevolence in communication is a potential path to unlocking the optimistic yet tension-
filled relationships between humans, cyborgs, and artificial intelligence, which in turn reveal our own uniqueness.
We hope that physical manifestations embedded in the cyborg can help us better reflect the potential between
humans and artificial intelligence.
Research Interests:Zhuangzi study and Heart School in Ming and Qing Dynasty (Shiqi Cai), Cyborg Study
(Chuxuan Zhang)
◾ The death of the author? Japan’s AI quest of power and the copyright dilemma
Montserrat CRESPÍN PERALES(Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Barcelona ,
Spain)
Roland Barthes (1915-1980) ended his famous article “The death of the author” (1967) declaring that “to
give writing its future, it is necessary to overthrow the myth: the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the
death of the Author”. Today’s worldwide quest of power over Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, ironically enough,
demonstrating Barthes proposition but with some relevant changes. Now, knowing that AI depends on being
constantly feed by data, we are in a situation where we can rephrase Barthes words and say that “the birth (and
nurture) of the IA must be ransomed by the death of the Author”. This is confirmed by Japan’s debates over the
question of copyright and the last Japanese government position stating that copyright will not apply to AI training,
which means, in Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Keiko Nagaoka,
last comments around this matter, that all materials used to fed AI datasets for generative AI will may not be
copyrighted protected. The purpose of my paper is to explore the philosophical questions around what it has
been called as the “copyright dilemma”: a difficult choice between protecting copyright data and, thus, not being
competitive enough within this AI global war for world technology leadership, or remain competitive, but killing
the authors and creators’ rights on their works.
Research Interests:Montserrat CRESPÍN PERALES is a philosophy professor at the Philosophy Department

and a researcher at ADHUC—Research Center for Theory, Gender, Sexuality, University of Barcelona. She
holds a PhD from the same university and was a Japan Foundation scholarship recipient at the International
Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), in Kyoto, Japan. Her research interest is the study of the
history of ideas in modern and contemporary Japan, with a special focus on subjectivity in the works of
Nishida Kitarō, on social and political philosophy, and on the study of feminist movements in East Asia in relation
to and as different from these movements in Europe. She is the author of various papers published in scientific
52
journals and books and has a long career teaching at different universities as well as participating in numerous
national and international conventions, including being a guest speaker. Crespín Perales is the editor
of Feminismo e identidades de género en Japón (Feminism and gender identities in Japan) (Bellaterra, 2021);
with Fernando Wirtz, of Después de la nada: dialéctica e ideología en la filosofía japonesa contemporánea (After
Nothingness: Dialectics and Ideology in Contemporary Japanese Philosophy) (Herder, 2023), and translator into
Spanish and editor of Nakajima Rikizō’s La doctrina kantiana de la cosa en sí (1889) (Kant's Doctrine of the
"thing-in-itself") (Comares, 2023).
More information: https://philpeople.org/profiles/montserrat-crespin-perales
53

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Table of Contents

Organizing Committee & Team

Management Committee Member of ISEAP

Organizing Team (Doctoral students of the University of Edinburgh)

Registration 08:30-09:00 (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)

Session 1 (10:40-12:10) Session 2 (10:40-12:10) Session 3 (10:40-12:10)

Lunch Break (12:10-13:20)

Session 7 (15:00-17:00) Session 8 (15:00-17:00) Session 9 (15:00-17:00)

Reconstruction of the “under Heaven”

Roundtable Discussion (17:30-18:30) (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)

Closing Remarks (18:30-18:40) (Lower Ground Floor LG.09)

Farewell Dinner (19:45-21:45)

◾ What a Machine doesn’t have….

◾ Nothingness but rhythm----Nishida and Levinas—

◾ The Sense of Someone Appearing There: A Phenomenological Analysis of the Appearance of an

◾ Bruce Lee and Philosophy

◾ A Dialectic of Heaven and Man: A Conversation between Yijing and Hegel

◾ Nishitani's Reflection on Technology in the Age of Artificially Generated Philosophy

Research Interests:Philosophy of the Kyoto School, embodied cognition, first-person methodologies,

Research Interests: Chinese Philosophy (Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism); Buddhism

◾ On Death：Comparative Analysis on Buddhism and Confucianism

Research Interests:Confucianism, neo-Confucianism, Korean philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Social and

Research Interests:Chinese Philosophy, especially Wei-Jin Metaphysics

Keywords: Fictionalism; Antirealist; Realist; Shintoism; Fideism; New atheists

Research Interests:political philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Jixia academy.

◾ Performing humanness: the significance of ritual Martyna ŚWIĄTCZAK-BOROWY(University of

Research Interests:Chinese philosophy, political philosophy, early Confucianism, ritual

Research Interests:Li Yu, seventeenth-century Chinese literature, comparative literature

Research Interests:Chinese political/economic philosophy, Confucianism in modern China, philosophy of law

Research Interests: classical Confucianism; comparative philosophy; 4E cognition; sociocultural psychology

◾ The place of truth in Qu Yuan’s “The Fisherman”

◾ Nishitani and Nietzsche on the Ethics of Sympathy

◾ On the Idea of Sincerity 誠 in Japanese Philosophy-Focusing on the Case of Yokoi Shōnan-

Nothing Compares 2 U: Contradiction and Illumination of the Obvious

◾The Power of Images:The Zhuangzi’s Demonstration of the Ideal of Playfulness

Contribution by drs. Li Yang (Ghent University)

Contribution by drs. Li Mingyu (Ghent University)

Keywords for this paper

Abstracts of the panelists

◾Does Xunzi’s Virtue Ethics have the Problem of Indirection?

◾Harmony of Feelings: On Nishida Kitaro’s Feeling-to Approach to the Good

Research interests of this organized panel

◾ The line of the heart: calligraphy and aesthesis

Research Interests: comparative aesthetics, theory of painting, recontextualization of art

English Abstract (for reference)

◾ Reshaping Confucian Ritualism in Modern China: Zhang Taiyan’s Philosophical Interpretation on

Research Interests:Buddhist Philosophy

Keywords: Yogacara Buddhism, Artificial Intelligence, Humanity, Culture, Asianism.

Keywords –Madhubani, Confucius, Aesthetic, folk

Research interests: SOCIAL HISTORY AND ART AND GENDER STUDIES

Research Interests: Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, Comparative Philosophy

◾ Yi and He: The Two Walkings of the Confucian Aesthetic Order

◾ Lao Zi’s Dao and Logical Negation

Research Interests: Chinese Philosophy, Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Physics

Research Interests: Chinese aesthetics, Confucianism, Chinese philosophy of history

◾Kiyozawa Manshi’s Absolute Dialetheism

◾From Nishida’s Logic of Paradox to Nishitani’s Mysticism

Research Interests:Montserrat CRESPÍN PERALES is a philosophy professor at the Philosophy Department

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