February 10th, 6:30 – 8:30pm
M.O.C. Via barbantini 47
Cost: Free, reserve a spot here
From February 11th to May 23rd in via Barbantini 47 the Moc Fest will transform Lucca into an exceptional stage, with a rich calendar of events divided into thematic cycles: cinema, theatre, philosophy, performance. and includes English-language interviews as part of the collaboration between Minerva and the Tuscan film academy. For article (in Italian) regarding the festival, click here.
The Guest Speaker:
Dr. Tongdong Bai is the Dongfang Chair Professor of Philosophy at Fudan University in China, and a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
His research interests include Chinese philosophy and political philosophy. He has two books published in English: China:
The Political Philosophy of the Middle Kingdom(Zed Books, 2012), and Against Political Equality: The Confucian Case (Princeton
University Press, 2019). He is now working on the philosophy of Han Fei Zi (c. 280-233 BCE), a “Legalist” and a harsh critic of Confucians, as well as a real-life princeling who is often compared with Machiavelli and Hobbes. He is also the director of an English-based MA and visiting program in Chinese philosophy at Fudan University that is intended to promote the studies of Chinese philosophy in the
February 19, 6:30 – 8:30pm
M.O.C. Via barbantini 47
Cost: Free, reserve a spot here
From February 11th to May 23rd in via Barbantini 47 the Moc Fest will transform Lucca into an exceptional stage, with a rich calendar of events divided into thematic cycles: cinema, theatre, philosophy, performance, and includes English-language interviews as part of the collaboration between Minerva and the Tuscan film academy. For article (in Italian) regarding the festival, click here.
Video of Past Events
Available soon
What might a viable political alternative to liberal democracy look like? In Against Political Equality, Tongdong Bai offers a possibility inspired by Confucian ideas. In domestic governance, Bai argues that Confucianism can embrace the liberal aspects of democracy along with the democratic ideas of equal opportunities and governmental accountability to the people. But Confucianism would give more political decision-making power to those with the moral, practical, and intellectual capacities of caring for the people.
While most democratic thinkers still focus on strengthening equality to cure the ills of democracy, the proposed hybrid regime-made up of Confucian-inspired meritocratic elements with democratic elements and a quasi-liberal system of laws and rights, recognizes that egalitarian elements are sometimes in conflict with good governance and the protection of liberties, and defends liberal aspects by restricting democratic ones. Bai applies his views to the international realm by supporting a hierarchical order based on how humane each state is toward its own and other peoples, and the principle of international interventions whereby humane responsibilities override sovereignty. Exploring the deficiencies posed by many liberal democracies, Against Political Equality presents a novel Confucian-inspired alternative for solving today’s political problems.
