Speaker: Joachim Bernhard (University of Tübingen)

Time: 15:00, Apr 25, 2025 (GMT+8)

Venue: Room B112, Lee Shau Kee Humanities Building 2, Peking University

Abstract:

Matteo Ricci’s "True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven" (1603) is the first meaningful encounter between Chinese and Western intellectual culture. Ricci composes his book in Chinese language as a dialogue between a Western and a Chinese scholar. They exchange views on the notion of God, on metaphysics, psychology, ethics, and other topics. The lecture argues that Augustine is the most important authority in the background for the Western speaker. Thus we can observe how Ricci juxtaposes Augustinian ideas with Chinese views in the hope of finding common ground between both cultures.

Source: Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies