Tu Weiming, a Confucian ethicist honored by the United Nations for his work on intercultural interchanges, will deliver the College of Arts and Sciences’ annual Helen Ingram Plummer Lecture on March 23.
Tu’s work largely focuses on the relationship of Confucianism to twenty-first century issues like human rights, the environment, and global cultural exchange. In 2001, the United Nations named him to a “Group of Eminent Persons” to facilitate “Dialogue Among Civilizations.” He was also one of eight scholars invited by the government of Singapore to develop a Confucian ethics curriculum for that nation’s schools.
Tu is the Harvard-Yenching Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy and of Confucian Studies at Harvard University. He has published six books in English and four in Chinese, and is on the editorial boards of the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies and Philosophy East and West. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Tu is one of the most prominent among the “Boston Confucians,” a group of scholars who believe that Confucianism does not apply only to Asian cultures and traditions, but can be adapted to address the cultures of the West.
The philosophy of Confucius, who lived in China more than 2,500 years ago, is one of the foundations of social, political and cultural thought in East Asia. Confucianism emphasizes the importance of education and good citizenship, and governance by moral law rather than physical force.
The Helen Ingram Plummer Lecture is the College of Arts and Sciences’ annual endowed lecture, featuring noted scholars, scientists, artist and performers who have made notable contributions to their fields of achievement and to society at large. The Plummer Lecture was endowed in 1999 in honor of the late Atlanta arts patron. The Asian Studies Center and the Department of Religious Studies are also co-sponsoring the event.
Tu will deliver his lecture, titled “Confucian Humanism in the 21st Century,” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, March 23, in the Speakers Auditorium of the Student Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.