| Abstract [eng] |
The 四海为学 “Collaborative Learning” is an online academic forum that hosts a range of lectures, book discussions and roundtables each year, creating a space for collaboration, as well as bringing different opinions into a conversation. The roundtable on “Environmentalism” aligned with the forum's aims, bringing together three prominent scholars into a conversation that was rich in shared insights yet divergent in opinions. Yumi Suzuki opened the discussion by challenging the common tendency in Chinese philosophy to address environmental issues through Daoism, exploring what Confucianism has to offer instead. As a philosophy concerned with social issues, Confucianism sought productive ways of working with nature without excessively limiting human progress. Jean-Yves Heurtebise offered a contrasting view, provocatively suggesting that early Chinese philosophy has little to offer in addressing today's environmental concerns, which he sees as transcultural and beyond the scope of cultural particularities. Marion Hourdequin, however, emphasized that while ecological issues are global, different cultures “foreground” different values, highlighting social relations and collective responsibility in the Analects. Although Confucius is often seen as conservative, Hourdequin notes that the Analects is all about social change. Rather than retreating into tradition, we might, like Confucius, “stay with the trouble”—facing current environmental challenges while drawing from ancient philosophies. This article synthesizes the key points of the roundtable discussion and concludes by highlighting central insights that situate Confucian thought within broader efforts to rethink ecological degradation and strategies for addressing it. |
