The Online Colloquium of the Summer Term 2024 by the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” will host a lecture by Prof. Dr. Jana S. ROŠKER. You are cordially invited to attend.
Prof. Dr. Jana S. ROŠKER (University of Ljubljana)
From Non-Reality to Possibility: Sublating the Conceptions of the Future in St. Augustine and the Later Mohist Canon
Thursday, July 25, 2024, 6–8 PM (Central European Time)
Abstract
Our understanding of the future both defines and is defined by our sense of being anchored in the present reality, as well as by our perceptions of our personal and social histories. Human conceptions of time and the interrelations among past, present, and future exhibit wide variation across different languages, philosophical traditions, and cultures. In this presentation, I will begin by delineating the core principles that underpin the traditional Chinese perspective on temporality, with a specific focus on the Later Mohist viewpoint. Then, I will introduce the concept of time as developed by St. Augustine of Hippo, whose work is pivotal in Western philosophy for its introspective examination of time as an internal, psychological experience, diverging from the more empirical approaches of his predecessors. This foundation in Augustine’s thought provides a critical contrast to the Mohist view, enriching our exploration of time’s subjective and objective dimensions. By conducting a comparative analysis of these two perspectives and employing the method of transcultural comparative sublation, I aim to illuminate how varying approaches to understanding time can shape human perceptions of realities. Exploring and juxtaposing these varied conceptions of time, fostering a productive exchange between them, enhances our philosophical reflection and provides us with a detailed comprehension of the ways in which our anticipations and perspectives of the future are shaped by cultural and historical contexts. This receptiveness to diverse temporal viewpoints enables us to critically evaluate and refine our beliefs, viewing the future both as a realm of possibilities and as a part of reality inherently shaped by its potential, requiring our thoughtful reflection and purposeful action.
About the speaker
Prof. Jana S. Rošker is a Slovene sinologist and the head of the Department of Asian studies at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). She obtained her PhD degree at Vienna University and for over 10 years held positions at several universities and research institutes in China and Taiwan. Her main research interests are Chinese epistemology, methodology of transcultural philosophy, (post)comparative philosophy, and modern and contemporary Chinese philosophy. Among her recent publications in English are her book “Humanism in Trans-civilizational Perspectives: Relational Subjectivity and Social Ethics in Classical Chinese Philosophy” (Springer 2023), and an article published in Asian Philosophy titled “The unity of identity and difference as the absoluteness of all relativity: Hui Shi and the longing for a different logic” (2024). She serves as chief editor of the journal Asian Studies (University of Ljubljana), president of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP), and honorary member of the European Association of Chinese Philosophy (EACP).
Organizer
Research Training Group 2833 “East Asian Futures: Visions and Realizations on National, Transregional and Global Scales”, Ruhr University Bochum and University of Duisburg-Essen.
Zoom meeting link
https://ruhr-uni-bochum.zoom-x.de/j/68151233740?pwd=WFKVCbU3Zbeuj5r7TlrfeT9ekegMhr.1