China Colloquium Series: Dai Zhen and the Social Dynamics of Confucianism

Professor Torbjorn Loden gives a lecture on Dai Zhen, a leading scholar of the Qianlong era and function of Confucian ideas in Chinese history.

Time: 4:00PM

Torbjorn Loden - Professor of Chinese Language and Culture, Stockholm University; Member of Swedish Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities

Dai Zhen (1724-1777), a leading scholar of the Qianlong era, criticized the Confucian orthodoxy for “killing people in the name of principle”. In his talk Torbjörn Lodén will analyze Dai Zhen’s criticism and compare it to the criticism formulated by Wang Yangming (1472-1529) and his followers. On the basis of this comparative analysis he will discuss the relationship between the meaning and function of Confucian ideas as an important aspect of the social dynamics of Confucianism in Chinese history.

For more information: eastasian.studies@yale.edu