By Renhao Guo
I arrived in the United States on April 14, 2026, embarking on an academic journey that I had never envisioned before. From the Duke campus to the two-day workshop on “Varieties of Harmony in Greek and Chinese Philosophy”, as a freshman, what I once regarded as distant and vast is now within reach.
During my high school years, I began to read a large number of humanities books. Chinese and ancient Greek philosophy occupied a significant portion in my knowledge system. As an “amateur” in philosophy, my previous focus was on extracting specific wisdom from philosophy for specific issues, and I could vaguely sense the similarities and differences among various philosophical thought systems. But this workshop enabled me to appreciate the truly systematic and comparative study of philosophy. During the conversation with Professor Miller, I learned that the better idea for this conference was to have experts in Chinese philosophy and Greek philosophy listen to and respond to each other, thereby conducting a continuous and reciprocal study of “harmony”. Fortunately, with the support and assistance of Professor Miller, I was also involved in the entire process from research to presentation and discussion. There is no doubt that my professional level is far from the ideal one. All I can do is to conduct limited research and make contributions based on my cultural background and my enthusiasm for humanities. Therefore, I don’t so much view this as a display, but rather consider this academic journey as an opportunity for growth. At the meeting, the scholars discussed various topics such as the situation of family and sexuality, what constitutes justice, the similarities and differences between ancient Chinese and Greek thought, the principle of righteousness, the harmony of music and rhythm, education, friendship, etc. These knowledge points may not be fully remembered, but the academic rigor, the concern for humanities, and the open and inclusive academic dialogue environment all left an indelible mark in my heart.
Apart from the regular meetings, what I enjoy more are the midday meals and the conversations that take place during leisure time. For instance, during dinner time, I spent almost the entire meal discussing relativism and feminism, as well as their relationship with modernity, with Professor Wang and Professor Miller. During lunchtime, I discussed German philosophy and Marxism with Duke’s philosophy professor. And while in the car, I had casual conversations with the professors about Duke’s history. These dialogues were not necessarily closely related to rigorous academic research, but they were particularly valuable. As a freshman, it is natural for me to feel a sense of distance from the professors. Even though I had many questions, I still longed for in-depth conversations. Such opportunities were extremely rare. Therefore, these long, deep, and equal conversations made me no longer feel that age and identity were prerequisites for intellectual conversations. I was also fortunate to be able to meet these brilliant scholars.
Additionally, I spent nearly a whole day visiting the Duke campus and experiencing the local culture. Most DKU students usually go on an exchange program at Duke during their junior year. And I was completely blown away by Duke before even enrolling. I believe that architectural style is a very important factor for a university. The older the university is, the more so this is the case. The most powerful impression came when I entered Duke Church. Beneath the Gothic architecture lies an overwhelming grandeur. We sat there for a long time, looking at the statues and the Bible in front of us, thinking about how people prayed here a hundred years ago. I sincerely felt extremely fortunate to be able to study here.
Although the long round-trip flight was very tiring, this trip was extremely worthwhile for me. Thank Professor Miller and Professor Wang for offering me this opportunity. The two days of study there were very much in line with the dialogues I had imagined taking place in the Athenian city-state when I read Plato before. What was gained there was not only knowledge, but also a broader academic perspective, meaningful and equal conversations, as well as good teachers and friends. Finally, I hope such exchanges will occur more frequently around the world. I will also internalize and pass on the gains from this experience.
