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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260114T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260114T190000
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SUMMARY:FAH/DPHIL Lecture Series – "A Zhuangzian Critique of Epistemic Authority" by Dr. Manuel Rivera Espinoza\, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile\, Chile
DESCRIPTION:Microsoft Teams: https://go.um.edu.mo/7mnk1eav \n  \nAbstract \nThis article examines how the Zhuangzi systematically subverts the epistemic hierarchies of its time by inverting the values traditionally associated with “wisdom” and “ignorance.” I propose the concept of “the unmaking of wisdom/knowledge (zhi 知)” to describe a recurrent dynamic in the text: the supposed wisdom of nobles\, courtiers\, and specialists—figures tied to political authority and scholarly prestige—is portrayed as a form of ignorance\, self-deception\, or rigid fixation\, whereas the apparent ignorance of commoners\, artisans\, and other marginalized figures comes to be seen as type of wisdom/knowledge. Through close readings of a range of episodes—encounters between rulers and commoners\, officials and artisans\, etc.—I show how the Zhuangzi dismantles conventional criteria of epistemic authority by dramatizing the practical and existential failures of “official sages\,” in contrast to the efficacy\, spontaneity\, and freedom of those who make no claim to authoritative knowledge. Rather than advancing a new positive doctrine of knowledge\, the text cultivates modes of not-knowing\, conceptual detachment\, and openness to contingency. In this sense\, “not-knowing” does not denote a simple lack of information but names a critical disposition that resists codified knowledge and makes room for relational\, situated\, and embodied forms of understanding. \n  \nBio \nManuel Rivera Espinoza is a FONDECYT Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Aesthetics of the Faculty of Philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Previously\, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Koselleck-Project “Histories of Philosophy in a Global Perspective” at the Institute of Philosophy at Hildesheim University. An expert in intercultural and comparative philosophy\, intellectual history\, and decolonial theory\, with a particular focus on ancient Chinese thought\, Manuel holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Macau (China). He has published articles and book reviews in various journals and has presented his research at numerous international conferences and workshops. Fluent in Spanish and English\, with a working knowledge of classical Chinese\, he is also an active member of several academic associations related to Chinese and Asian studies.
URL:https://fah.um.edu.mo/event/fah-dphil-lecture-series-a-zhuangzian-critique-of-epistemic-authority-by-dr-manuel-rivera-espinoza-pontifical-catholic-university-of-chile-chile/
LOCATION:E21A-3118
CATEGORIES:Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fah.um.edu.mo/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/poster-manuel-rivera-espinoza.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Department%20of%20Philosophy%20and%20Religious%20Studies":MAILTO:maggiewong@um.edu.mo
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260128T173000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260128T190000
DTSTAMP:20260509T012142
CREATED:20260127T023530Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T023928Z
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SUMMARY:FAH/DPHIL Lecture Series – "Crossing Rivers\, Crossing Minds: How Yu Became “Metaphor/Analogy” in Early China" by Prof. Zhou Boqun\, The University of Hong Kong\, Hong Kong
DESCRIPTION:Microsoft Teams: https://go.um.edu.mo/7mnk1eav \n  \nAbstract \nAlthough sinologists have long debated the existence of metaphor in ancient China\, the word often regarded as the classical Chinese equivalent of “metaphor/analogy\,” yu 喻\, has received relatively little scholarly attention. This lecture offers a new account of the semantic development of yu\, drawing on recent paleographic studies of the etymology of yu 俞. In oracle bone inscriptions\, yu originally denoted “traveling along a river in a boat” or “crossing a river.” This core meaning later differentiated into words within the same phonetic series expressing physical and abstract forms of “carrying over”: in the physical domain\, yu 逾/踰 “to cross over” and shu 輸\, “to transport”; in the abstract domain\, yu 喻/諭 “to convey\, to communicate.” In Warring States texts\, yu 喻/諭 is almost always glossed as “to tell” (gao 告) or “to understand” (xiao 曉) and only rarely as “analogy\, comparison” (bi 比)\, reflecting the communicative process at both sender and receiver ends. It gradually acquired the sense of “analogy” or “metaphor” because Warring States thinkers relied heavily on these devices or vehicles to convey their ideas. Building on this historical-semantic analysis\, the lecture further compares yu with the Aristotelian notion of “metaphor\,” noting that both involve a form of “transfer\,” though of different kinds: in yu\, an idea moves from one mind to another\, whereas in metaphor\, a word shifts from its ordinary to an extraordinary context. \n  \nBio \nZhou Boqun is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chinese at The University of Hong Kong. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Before joining the School of Chinese\, he taught at the Institute for World Literatures and Cultures at Tsinghua University as a member of the Tsinghua-Michigan Society of Fellows. His research focuses on the intellectual history of early China\, the history of science and technology\, and excavated texts. In recent years\, he has examined mechanical and optical metaphors and analogies in philosophical writings. His work has appeared in Early China\, Ziran Kexueshi Yanjiu (Studies in the History of Natural Science)\, Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy\, Philosophy East and West\, and Monumenta Serica. He has also published English translations and studies of several of the Tsinghua bamboo manuscripts.
URL:https://fah.um.edu.mo/event/fah-dphil-lecture-series-crossing-rivers-crossing-minds-how-yu-became-metaphor-analogy-in-early-china-by-prof-zhou-boqun-the-university-of-hong-kong-hong-kong/
LOCATION:E21A-G049
CATEGORIES:Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
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ORGANIZER;CN="Department%20of%20Philosophy%20and%20Religious%20Studies":MAILTO:maggiewong@um.edu.mo
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