Interpersonal Harmony in Comparative Philosophy: Ancient and Contemporary Perspectives
This workshop explores the concept of interpersonal harmony across different philosophical traditions, with a particular focus on ancient Greek and Chinese thought. While the idea of harmony (harmonia in Greek, he 和 in Chinese) is often associated with balance and unity, different traditions develop this concept in distinct ways—sometimes as a model for ethical conduct, political order, or the cultivation of personal virtue.
Bringing together scholars working in ancient philosophy, comparative philosophy, and contemporary ethics, this workshop will examine how interpersonal harmony is understood in texts such as Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, the Analects, and Mozi. Key questions include: What conditions are necessary for genuine interpersonal harmony? Is harmony best understood as mere absence of conflict or as an active and dynamic process? How do these ancient insights compare to contemporary debates in moral and political philosophy?
By fostering dialogue across traditions, the workshop aims to deepen our understanding of harmony as a philosophical ideal and its implications for modern ethical and political life.
To register for participation in the in-person workshop, please click here. To register for virtual participation via Zoom, please click here. The papers for the workshop will be shared with registrants prior to the workshop.
Dates:
April 10-11
Location:
Smith Warehouse, Bay 4, C105, Ahmadieh Lecture Hall
Presenters:
- Agnes Callard (University of Chicago)
- Mariska Leunissen (UNC-Chapel Hill)
- Chenyang Li (Nanyang University, Singapore)
- Wenjin Liu (Duke University)
- James Miller (Duke Kunshan University)
- C.D.C. Reeve (UNC-Chapel Hill)
- Aaron Stalnaker (Indiana University)
- Robin Wang (Loyola Marymount)
- Hwa Yeong Wang (Duke Kunshan University)
- David Wong (Duke University)
Schedule (tentative):
April 10
• 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Coffee, tea, and light breakfast
• 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM: Opening remarks
• 9:15 AM – 10:45 AM: Wenjin Liu, Civic Friendship in Plato’s Republic
• 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Mariska Leunissen, Maternal Love and Tragic Tropes in Aristotle’s Ethics
• 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch
• 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Chenyang Li, Confucian Care, Civility, and Harmony
• 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM: Aaron Stalnaker, Two Versions of Conflict and Harmony from Early China
• 5:00pm –6:30pm James Miller and Hwayeong Wang, A Comparative Investigation of the Confucian Philosophy of Family
• 6:30 PM: Dinner
April 11
• 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Breakfast
• 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Agnes Callard, The Wrong Conversation
• 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM: C.D.C. Reeve Plato’s Kalonic Harmonies
• 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch
•1:30 pm – 3:00 PM: Robin Wang, 通心 tongxin: Zhuangzi’s Wandering Approach to Interpersonal Harmony
• 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM: David Wong, Confucian, Daoist, and Democratic Contributions to Harmony
• 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Closing remarks
• 5:15 PM: Dinner
Co-sponsored by the Center for Comparative Philosophy and Duke Philosophy Department
