Seminar in World Religions

Catalog description

This course offers an in-depth study of four classics of early Chinese thought: The Analects, the Mengzi, the Zhuangzi, and the Xunzi. The course assumes familiarity with the primary texts, and we will engage in philosophical, comparative, and to some extent, historical studies. We will ask questions about the authenticity of the texts, place the works within their intellectual historical context, and examine philosophical questions regarding human nature, ethics, politics, ritual, and metaphysics. The course is responsive to student interests and the syllabus will be adapted accordingly through the semester.