CONFUCIAN HUMANISM and the debate on the 'PUBLIC INTELLECTUAL' in Cultural China"

Speaker: Tu Weiming, Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy and of Confucian Studies, and Director of Harvard-Yenching Institute, Harvard University

The modern idea of the public intellectual has no antecedent in the West or in India. Unlike the Greek philosopher, the Jewish prophet, the Christian priest, the Indian guru, or the Buddhist monk, the public intellectual is politically concerned, socially engaged, and culturally informed and sensitive. The Confucian idea of the literatus or scholar-official is the functional equivalent of the public intellectual in traditional Chinese society. Thus, Confucian value-orientation makes it possible for public intellectuals in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan to function in government as well as in academia, business, religion, the professions, social movements, and NGOs. Tu Weiming will take a comparative cultural perspective to explore the current debate in China on the role of public intellectuals.

A buffet luncheon will be served. Please RSVP to Lydiac@stanford.edu, tel: 736-1759, by Thursday (May 5) if you plan to attend.

Sponsored by the CENTER FOR EAST ASIAN STUDIES