Confucianism Makes a Comeback

Over sixty attendees gathered at NYU Shanghai to hear Fudan University’s Professor of Chinese Philosophy, Bai Tongdong, speak on Confucianism in the modern world. Tongdong, also heads one of the several Masters programs taught in English at Fudan University. A Confucian scholar, Tongdong is particularly interested in it as a political philosophy and argues for its practice in today’s world.

In his talk, “Confucianism to Save the World,” Tongdong noted that having fallen out of favor at a time when China sought to modernize the state and compete with other countries, Confucianism is  now enjoying a renaissance as the Chinese economy emerges as a global player in the world.  Tongdong suggested, however, that Confucianism’s newfound popularity still lacked substantive appreciation as a political philosophy. Yet, quoting Mencius saying  “If you borrow long enough, it will grow on you,” Tongdong concluded optimistically that a Confucian political model could serve governments worldwide in the future.