First Meeting—Foundations

First Meeting—Foundations

Dates
February 4, 2021
Notes

Intro to the course; reading tips; preparation for the Lunyu

PDFs
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The Master said, “At fifteen I set my mind on learning. At thirty I took my stand. At forty was free of confusion. At fifty, I knew heaven's mandate. At sixty, my ears were attuned. At seventy I could follow my heart’s wishes without overstepping the bounds of propriety.”

Session Info

I plan to use this session to share some background about the classical period of Chinese thought, get us oriented to the motivations and goals for the course, share some tips about how to approach the readings, and to prepare us for the first text—the Lunyu (or Analects).

Introductory Reading

The Great Learning (canonical section)