History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

Peter Adamson, Jonardon Ganeri, Chike Jeffers

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.

247 Episodes

HPC 42. A Black and White World: the Zhuangzi on Shi-Fei Dogmatism
12/7/2025
18:56
The Zhuangzi’s critique of dogmatic approaches to argumentation and governing the state.
HPC 41. To Speak or Not to Speak: Skepticism in the Zhuangzi
11/23/2025
23:26
We introduce the second great classic of Warring States Daoism, the Zhuangzi, and ask whether it adopts a position of radical skepticism.
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HPC 40. Antiheroes: Sunzi’s Art of War
11/9/2025
18:42
Are the methods of warfare proposed in the famous Art of War an example of “applied Daoism”?
HPC 39. Robin Wang on Yin-Yang Thinking
10/26/2025
42:27
An interview on the pervasive use of the yin-yang relational pair in classical Chinese thought generally, and in Daoism in particular.
HPC 38. Easy Does It: Non-Action in the Laozi
10/12/2025
23:38
The concept of wuwei or “non-action”: does it mean that the perfect sage or political ruler simply never does anything?
HPC 37. She Stoops to Conquer: Femininity in the Laozi
9/28/2025
16:45
How the Laozi (Daodejing) applies the lessons of complementarity to the contrast between male and female.
HPC 36. Fishing for Complements: Polarities in Daoism
9/14/2025
17:48
The significance of the Laozi’s use of opposing pairs, which are treated as complementary rather as exclusive dichotomies.
HPC 35. Way Better than Greenwashing: Daoism on Nature
7/27/2025
21:30
The Laozi (Daodejing) refers to the winds, the rain and the waters. We discuss how these ideas express the Laozi’s views on nature.
HPC 34. You Don’t Say! the Dao That Cannot Be Told
7/13/2025
23:31
The first rule of dao is: don’t talk about dao. We do so nonetheless, focusing on its role in metaphysics and language.
HPC 33. Let Us Count the Ways: What is Daoism?
6/29/2025
18:14
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?

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History of Philosophy: India, Africana, China

Peter Adamson, Jonardon Ganeri, Chike Jeffers

247 Episodes

HPC 42. A Black and White World: the Zhuangzi on Shi-Fei Dogmatism

HPC 41. To Speak or Not to Speak: Skepticism in the Zhuangzi

HPC 40. Antiheroes: Sunzi’s Art of War

HPC 39. Robin Wang on Yin-Yang Thinking

HPC 38. Easy Does It: Non-Action in the Laozi

HPC 37. She Stoops to Conquer: Femininity in the Laozi

HPC 36. Fishing for Complements: Polarities in Daoism

HPC 35. Way Better than Greenwashing: Daoism on Nature

HPC 34. You Don’t Say! the Dao That Cannot Be Told

HPC 33. Let Us Count the Ways: What is Daoism?