Teaching through Sublation: Political and Philosophical Confucianism
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Jana S. Rošker
Abstract
Teaching Chinese philosophy requires moving beyond the perception of Confucianism as a singular ideological entity. It should instead direct students to understand its dual aspects: philosophical and political. Only through a profound internalization of these distinctions can we accurately assess what is often hastily labeled by many sociologists as a “meta-Confucian pattern”—a term that frequently overlooks the historical complexities underlying Confucian political and philosophical currents. This article demonstrates how the nuanced divide between political and philosophical Confucianism unveils fresh perspectives on both the ancient and contemporary Chinese context. Employing the transcultural sublation dialectic, it provides a more informed and integrative approach to these two facets of Confucianism. By sublating these two streams, the study proposes a re-evaluation of the traditional Chinese dichotomy between the transcendental and empirical self (neisheng waiwang), thereby encouraging a more culturally sensitive engagement with Chinese historical heritage, and contributing to the establishment of a global philosophical dialogue.
Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges the financial support from the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) in the framework of the research projects J6–50208 New Theoretical Approaches to Comparative Transcultural Philosophy and the Method of Sublation, and J6–50202 The Confucian Revival and its Impact on Contemporary East Asian Societies through the Lens of the Relation between the Individual and Society.
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- 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
Articles in the same Issue
- 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
