HPC 54. Learning to Unlearn: Han Feizi and Confucianism
Does Han Feizi’s focus on “standards” allow him to provide a more realistic political theory than the Confucian focus on moral cultivation?
May 24, 2026•20 min•Ep. 234
History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China
Peter Adamson teams up with Jonardon Ganeri, Chike Jeffers, and Karyn Lai to represent the philosophical traditions of ancient India, Africa and the African diaspora, and classical China. Website: www.historyofphilosophy.net.
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Episodes
HPC 53. A Worm Riding Clouds: Standards, Strategy and Power in the Han Feizi
The Han Feizi and its “three pillars” of Legalist philosophy: fa (standards), shu (strategy), and shi (positional power).
May 10, 2026•23 min•Ep. 233
HPC 52. The Empire State: the Qin Dynasty
Was the short-lived Qin empire, which unified China to put an end to the Warring States period, Legalism in action?
Apr 26, 2026•18 min•Ep. 232
HPC 51. Standard Bearers: What is “Legalism"?
The “ fa -thinkers” Shang Yang and Han Feizi encourage the rigorous application of “standards,” including law, reward, and punishment.
Apr 12, 2026•21 min•Ep. 227
HPC 50. Bryan Van Norden on Warring States Philosophy
To celebrate reaching 50 episodes in this series, Karyn and Peter both chat to a leading scholar of Warring States philosophy.
Mar 29, 2026•59 min•Ep. 230
HPC 49. Hans-Georg Moeller on the Zhuangzi
An interview on humor and amoral ethics in a Daoist classic, the Zhuangzi - and its relation to Confucianism and Legalism.
Mar 15, 2026•29 min•Ep. 229
HPC 48. Off the Beaten Path: Wandering in the Zhuangzi
How is it possible to walk two roads simultaneously? And where does wandering lead us?
Mar 01, 2026•16 min•Ep. 228
HPC 47. Live and Let Die: the Zhuangzi on Death
Why does the Zhuangzi tell us that death is nothing to fear, to the point that it recommends celebrating the death of loved ones?
Feb 15, 2026•18 min•Ep. 226
HPC 46. Turning the Tables: Confucius in the Zhuangzi
How are we to make sense of the different images of Kongzi (Confucius) in the Zhuangzi?
Feb 01, 2026•18 min•Ep. 225
HPC 45. Practice Makes Perfect: Skill Stories in the Zhuangzi
In addition to sages who show us the way, the Zhuangzi features people taking on daily activities such as woodworking and butchering: we discuss how these figures serve as counterpoints to officials in the Zhuangzi ’s time.
Jan 18, 2026•21 min•Ep. 224
HPC 44. Like a Fish Out of Water: Animal Stories in the Zhuangzi
The many stories about animals in the Zhuangzi encourage us to adopt a perspective that goes beyond the human point of view.
Jan 04, 2026•19 min•Ep. 223
HPC 43. Chiu Wai-Wai on the Zhuangzi and Mohism
An interview on debates over language and reasoning between the Mohists and the Daoist classic, the Zhuangzi .
Dec 21, 2025•33 min•Ep. 222
HPC 42. A Black and White World: the Zhuangzi on Shi-Fei Dogmatism
The Zhuangzi ’s critique of dogmatic approaches to argumentation and governing the state.
Dec 07, 2025•19 min•Ep. 221
HPC 41. To Speak or Not to Speak: Skepticism in the Zhuangzi
We introduce the second great classic of Warring States Daoism, the Zhuangzi, and ask whether it adopts a position of radical skepticism.
Nov 23, 2025•23 min•Ep. 220
HPC 40. Antiheroes: Sunzi’s Art of War
This episode explores Sun Tzu's Art of War, analyzing its pragmatic strategies through the lens of "applied Daoism." It contrasts Sun Tzu's amoral approach to warfare and the general's absolute authority with Confucian ideals of benevolent leadership. The discussion highlights how Sun Tzu's emphasis on adaptability, self-mastery, and indirect tactics like deception and undermining alliances resonates with Daoist principles of flexibility and non-action.
Nov 09, 2025•19 min•Ep. 217
HPC 39. Robin Wang on Yin-Yang Thinking
An interview on the pervasive use of the yin-yang relational pair in classical Chinese thought generally, and in Daoism in particular.
Oct 26, 2025•42 min•Ep. 219
HPC 38. Easy Does It: Non-Action in the Laozi
The concept of wuwei or “non-action”: does it mean that the perfect sage or political ruler simply never does anything?
Oct 12, 2025•24 min•Ep. 216
HPC 37. She Stoops to Conquer: Femininity in the Laozi
How the Laozi ( Daodejing) applies the lessons of complementarity to the contrast between male and female.
Sep 28, 2025•17 min•Ep. 215
HPC 36. Fishing for Complements: Polarities in Daoism
The significance of the Laozi ’s use of opposing pairs, which are treated as complementary rather as exclusive dichotomies.
Sep 14, 2025•18 min•Ep. 218
HPC 35. Way Better than Greenwashing: Daoism on Nature
The Laozi ( Daodejing ) refers to the winds, the rain and the waters. We discuss how these ideas express the Laozi ’s views on nature.
Jul 27, 2025•22 min•Ep. 214
HPC 34. You Don’t Say! the Dao That Cannot Be Told
The first rule of dao is: don’t talk about dao . We do so nonetheless, focusing on its role in metaphysics and language.
Jul 13, 2025•24 min•Ep. 213
HPC 33. Let Us Count the Ways: What is Daoism?
What does “Daoism” refer to in a range of contexts, and how have excavated texts changed our understanding of the tensions between Daoism and Confucianism?
Jun 29, 2025•18 min•Ep. 212
HPC 32. Chris Fraser on Mohism
We conclude our series on Mohism with an interview that looks at the Mohists' dialectic and its relationship to their ethics.
Jun 15, 2025•35 min•Ep. 211
HPC 31. Push and Pull: Mohist Dialectic
Later Mohists explained in the Canons how to provide compelling philosophical arguments, and how to avoid mistakes in argumentation. Does this count as “logic”?
Jun 01, 2025•23 min•Ep. 210
HPC 30. Horse of a Different Color: the Mohists on Language and Knowledge
What Mohist dialectics and Gongsun Long’s “White Horse Not Horse” argument tell us about the connection between language and knowledge.
May 18, 2025•23 min•Ep. 208
HPC 29. Ghost Writers: the Mohists on Religion
Did Mozi tell people that ghosts exist and that we can change our fate because he thought these things are true, or because it would be beneficial for people to believe them?
May 04, 2025•19 min•Ep. 209
HPC 28. Ting Mien Lee on Mohism and Confucianism
An interview on the contrasting views of Mohists and Confucians on ethical duties and warfare.
Apr 20, 2025•30 min•Ep. 207
HPC 27. Give Peace a Chance: the Mohists on War and Politics
How the Mohist principle of “inclusive care” leads to political order and (mostly) forbids the fighting of wars.
Apr 06, 2025•19 min•Ep. 206
HPC 26. Culture Wars: Mohist and Confucian Debates
Disagreements between the Mohists and the Confucians: is seeking benefits the right way to approach life? What motivates us to act morally, care for our loved ones or a doctrine of impartiality?
Mar 23, 2025•19 min•Ep. 204
HPC 25. Benefit, Then Stop: Mohism and Impartial Care
How did the Mohists establish their consequentialist ethic of “impartial care ( jian ’ai )”? Was this theory ultimately grounded in the will of Heaven?
Mar 09, 2025•21 min•Ep. 203
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