SUNY-Oneonta
Undergraduate Philosophy Conference
Keynote Address
Pragmatism and the Future of Confucianism in China
Joanna Crosby
Morgan State University
Abstract:
Joanna Crosby
Morgan State University
Abstract:
Can Pragmatism or Confucianism, both philosophies that emphasize practice over theory, and actuality over metaphysics, help heal the damage done to Chinese culture by the Cultural Revolution?Some scholars give a very rosy view of post Cultural Revolution China. They claim that Confucianism, Taoism, and Budhism are alive and well, working hand in hand to enrich the everyday lives of the Chinese people. They downplay the totalitarian aspects of China's dynastic history, as well as the particularities of Chinese communism.
Life, as it is lived on the streets of China, is much more complex:
If the coming century is to be the Chinese century, understanding China beyond the official propaganda of either Chinese or U.S. origin becomes paramount. A full appreciation of the lasting impact of what the Chinese call chaos is vitally important. What we may be able to offer to the Chinese to assist in thinking through the issues includes a post-, or non-, Marxist account of Confucianism; as well as the pragmatism of people including James and Dewey.Chinese culture retains strong (if unidentified as such) Confucian influence, and yet this involves a characteristic and sometime paradoxical pragmatism. I will discuss what pragmatism is, and the ways in which the Chinese do and do not demonstrate its characteristics. Chinese popular culture closely resembles American popular culture. I will discuss the influence of western fashion, music, television, and cinema on Chinese people, particularly those of college age. Consumerism is the word of the day. The Cultural Revolution served to eliminate much of traditional Chinese culture, and western culture, particularly some of the more superficial aspects of American culture have rushed to fill the void. While the Cultural Revolution ended officially in 1975, there are aspects, suspicions, and practices that remain and hinder interaction between east and west, as well as the growth of academic communities and intellectual exchange. In the midst of this legacy, it seems as though it may be much easier to infuse Confucian thought into a western way of thinking, than to reintroduce it to a Chinese way of thinking.
-- Biography --
Dr. Crosby did undergraduate work in Philosophy and graduate work in American Studies at California State University at Fullerton. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1995 and has taught at Morgan State University, a historically black institution in Baltimore, MD ever since. Her work concerns critical social thought in the US, Europe, and Asia, including issues of: class, race, and gender. Teaching, writing, and presenting papers on Confucianism for the last few years, her focus has centered on China. She spent the Fall 1999 semester teaching at Hubei University in Wuhan, China. She now resides in Baltimore with her husband and three feline companions.
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