How Confucius’s philosophy differs from later Confucian tradition

Sydney China Seminars
How Confucius’s philosophy differs from later Confucian tradition and how that affects our understanding of China’s past, present and future in 30 minutes: Conclusions from translating Lunyu.
This talk provides a simple and clear explanation of how key concepts related to family and country were applied differently in Confucius’s original ideas and later Confucian tradition. This different perspective led to two quite different philosophies. By knowing which of Confucius’s ideas were changed to fit later tradition, we can better understand how Confucianism was used to control the country. It also makes it easier to see how traditional Chinese philosophy can be applied to the future.
About the speakers
Victor Petersen (BAS, BEc, MBA) lived in China for many years and teaches Chinese language. His works include Lunyu Analysis (Foreign Languages Press), A History of Chinese Martial Arts Fiction (translator, Cambridge University Press), Ease into Chinese (Joint Publishing Hong Kong), Three Character Classic (translator, AsiaPac Books) and the popular character learning game, Fan Dui Dui (Kitablo).
Yingjie Guo (Moderator) is Professor in Chinese Studies. He received his BA and MA from Shanghai International Studies University and PhD from the University of Tasmania. Before joining the University of Sydney in 2014, he had taught at Shanghai International Studies University, the University of Tasmania, the University of New England, and the University of Technology, Sydney. His research focuses on cultural nationalism in contemporary China, Chinese cultural identities, and the discourse of class in the post-Mao era. His major publications include Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China: Searching for National identity under Reform, Unequal China: Political Economy and Culture Politics (with Wanning Sun), Handbook of Class and Stratification in the People’s Republic of China, Local Elites in Post-Mao China, Class and the Communist Party of China, 1921-1978: Revolution and Social Change (with Marc Blecher, David S. G. Goodman, Jean-Louis Rocca and Antony Saich), Class and the Communist Party of China, since 1978 - China in Reform (with Marc Blecher, David S. G. Goodman, Jean-Louis Rocca and Beibei Tang).