Happy Lunar New Year from the USC US-China Institute!
The Poetry of Philosophical Prose: The First Chapter of Xunzi and the Last of Huainanzi
The Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania presents a lecture with Martin Kern.
When:
April 12, 2012 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Where
Speaker:
Martin Kern, Princeton University
Early Chinese philosophical prose contains numerous passages of poetic diction. These do not serve as mere embellishment but contribute to the particular ways in which arguments are developed. Unlike its ancient Greek counterpart, philosophy in early China did not reject poetry as falsehood but embraced it for its aesthetic force as well as for the truth claims it embodied. The lecture examines two prominent examples that are particularly rich in poetic diction: the first chapter "Exhortation to Learning" in Xunzi and the concluding chapter "Summary of the Essentials" in Huainanzi. While the two chapters serve very different purposes, they illustrate how philosophical argument was at once developed and displayed.
Cost:
All events are free and open to the public.
Event Website URL:
Phone Number:
(215) 573-4203
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