How to Interpret Chinese Philosophy to the West—My Experience of Teaching Chinese Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin
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Sun Xiangchen
Abstract
In European universities, courses related to Chinese philosophy are usually offered in the Department of Sinology or the Department of China Studies. In recent years, the Department of Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin has advocated the concept of “global philosophy” and has taken visionary actions to introduce courses like Chinese Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, and African Philosophy. In September 2019, I began to teach “Modern Interpretation of Chinese Philosophy” during the 2019–20 winter semester at Freie Universität Berlin, upon the invitation Prof. Stefan Gosepath from Germany’s Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS-Contestations of the Liberal Script, and Prof. Hans Feger from the Department of Philosophy.At first, I had no idea how many students would come to listen to this seminar course designed for senior undergraduate students and postgraduate students. After all, many seminars at college are often attended by only three to five students. To my surprise, its attendance stayed at around 25 students (Including students who audit) throughout the semester, indicating that German students are interested in Chinese philosophy. Though I only taught for one semester, I still felt much about lecturing on Chinese philosophy at a European university. Apart from the differences between Chinese and Western cultures and between tradition and modernity, I gained a deep understanding of the complexity of exploring the significance of Chinese philosophy in a modern context.
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Editorial Preface
- Preface
- I. Teaching Daoist Philosophy
- Experiences of Learning, Teaching, and Investigating Chinese Philosophy in Europe
- Zhuangzi as Educator: Spectatorial Engagement and Transcultural Understanding for Global Citizenship
- Teaching Chinese Philosophy Outside the Philosophy Classroom: Reflections on Contents, Methods, and Prospects
- From “Being and Time” to “Dao and Time”
- II. Teaching Confucian Philosophy
- How to Interpret Chinese Philosophy to the West—My Experience of Teaching Chinese Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin
- Teaching through Sublation: Political and Philosophical Confucianism
- Engaging with Li 禮 in the European Philosophy Classroom
- A Few Reflections from Central Europe on Teaching Chinese Philosophy
- Teaching Chinese Philosophy: From a “Skill-Based” to a “Thinking Through Early Chinese Philosophy” Approach
- The Teaching of “Chinese Philosophy” in Sinology Studies
- Look Back in Anger? Chinese Philosophy at Ruhr University Bochum
- III. Teaching Chinese Buddhist Philosophy
- Buddhism as Philosophy: Exercise in Observing Observation: The Nonduality of Paradoxical and Representational Thinking in Chinese Buddhism
- Ideas, Labels, and Boxes – The Three Teachings in Cheng Xuanying’s Early Tang Commentary to the Laozi and Some Reflections on our Scholarly Explorations of the Three Teachings
- IV. Miscellaneous
- Die Bildung abstrakter Begriffe in archaischen chinesischen Schriften: Humboldt’sche Perspektiven
- Chinesische Sprache und Schrift in philosophischer und kulturübergreifender Sicht—ein Vorlesungsplan
- Bio-Bibliography
- Name Index
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Frontmatter
- Editorial Preface
- Preface
- I. Teaching Daoist Philosophy
- Experiences of Learning, Teaching, and Investigating Chinese Philosophy in Europe
- Zhuangzi as Educator: Spectatorial Engagement and Transcultural Understanding for Global Citizenship
- Teaching Chinese Philosophy Outside the Philosophy Classroom: Reflections on Contents, Methods, and Prospects
- From “Being and Time” to “Dao and Time”
- II. Teaching Confucian Philosophy
- How to Interpret Chinese Philosophy to the West—My Experience of Teaching Chinese Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin
- Teaching through Sublation: Political and Philosophical Confucianism
- Engaging with Li 禮 in the European Philosophy Classroom
- A Few Reflections from Central Europe on Teaching Chinese Philosophy
- Teaching Chinese Philosophy: From a “Skill-Based” to a “Thinking Through Early Chinese Philosophy” Approach
- The Teaching of “Chinese Philosophy” in Sinology Studies
- Look Back in Anger? Chinese Philosophy at Ruhr University Bochum
- III. Teaching Chinese Buddhist Philosophy
- Buddhism as Philosophy: Exercise in Observing Observation: The Nonduality of Paradoxical and Representational Thinking in Chinese Buddhism
- Ideas, Labels, and Boxes – The Three Teachings in Cheng Xuanying’s Early Tang Commentary to the Laozi and Some Reflections on our Scholarly Explorations of the Three Teachings
- IV. Miscellaneous
- Die Bildung abstrakter Begriffe in archaischen chinesischen Schriften: Humboldt’sche Perspektiven
- Chinesische Sprache und Schrift in philosophischer und kulturübergreifender Sicht—ein Vorlesungsplan
- Bio-Bibliography
- Name Index
