Sam Crane examined the limits of the Confucian revival in China, especially the ways in which rapid modernization works against a macro-political assertion of Confucian principles. Reference were made to Professor Crane's experience this past summer teaching a course on Confucianism at the International Summer School at Renmin University in Beijing.
Sam Crane is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Williams College where he teaches, among other topics, contemporary Chinese politics and ancient Chinese philosophy. His most recent book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Dao: Ancient Chinese Thought in Modern American Life (Wiley 2013), interprets contentious social issues in the US (abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia) using concepts drawn from pre-Qin Confucianism and Daoism. Click here for a short video of his book discussion. He blogs at The Useless Tree.
This video is also available on the USCI YouTube Channel.
