WHEN: Apr. 2, 2024, Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Beijing Time

WHERE: The Courtyard Institute or "Sihe College", 28 Zhong Lao Hutong,Dongcheng district, Beijing 北京市东城区中老胡同28号

四合书院. On Didi or GPS input "Sihe College"

ABOUT THE EVENT: The Laozi (or Daodejing) is unique among Chinese philosophical classics, as it offers an endless source of inspiration for traditional commentators and even more impressively has been translated 2052 times in 97 languages. Each commentary and translation present novel reconceptions of the text and its philosophy, forming a special body of knowledge termed “Global Laozegetics” by Misha Tadd. Drawing on this rich intellectual tradition, the present talk will introduce eclectic examples of traditional Chinese understandings of the Laozi from the Legalist vision of Hanfeizi to the Religious Daoist Xiang’er commentary, before presenting modern ideological readings that include fascist, anarchist, Marxist, and hippy ones. How can one work of Chinese philosophy be so popular and inspire so many contradictory readings? Come and find out.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Misha Tadd is an Associate Professor in the College of Philosophy at Nankai University. He is also Director of Nankai University’s Global Laozegetics Research Center, a position which has led him to be interviewed by the People’s Daily, China Daily, CCTV-4, GCTN, and to appear in programs such as CCTV's “The Wisdom of China: Laozi” and “Civilization Encounters: Daodejing.” His research addresses pre-Qin and Han Daoist philosophy, comparative religion and philosophy, and Global Laozegetics (a concept he developed). He has edited and translated multiple books and published in English journals like Diogenes, Religions, and Journal of the History of Ideas, and top Chinese journals like Philosophical Research, History of Chinese Philosophy, and Xinhua Digest. He recently has catalogued all the Laozi translations in the world in The Complete Bibliography of Laozi Translations (2022).

ABOUT THE MODERATOR: David Moser holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan, with a major in Chinese Linguistics and Philosophy. He has been based in Beijing for over 35 years, and is active in academic and media circles. Moser was a visiting scholar at Peking University in 1987-89, and a visiting professor for five years at the Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外国语大学). He was Associate Dean of the Yenching Academy at Peking University from 2017 to 2019, and for ten years was Academic Director at CET Chinese Studies at Beijing Capital Normal University, where he is currently Associate Professor in the Foreign Languages department. Moser is author of the book A Billion Voices: China's Search for a Common Language, published by Penguin, and with Jeremiah Jenne co-hosts Barbarians at the Gate, a biweekly podcast covering aspects of Chinese history and modern culture.

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I will attend" before noon on Mar. 31 and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder.

MEMBERS OF PARTNER RAS BRANCHES: Please register 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive three emails from us: the first confirming receipt of your registration request, the second requesting payment, and the third confirming receipt of payment. Any registrations which have not been paid for by noon on Mar. 31 will be de-activated.

REFUND POLICY: If RASBJ cancels the event, registrants will be refunded in full.