The Influence of Confucius on American Politics and Culture

Tuesday, November 29th, 2022

6:00 c.t. - 8:00 pm

IAAK, 1.004 (Room A)

Regina-Pacis-Weg 5

Bonn

with
Prof. Dr. Alfred Hornung

University of Mainz

The transaltion of the works of the Chinese philosopher Confucius at the end of the 17th century had an important impact on the European Enlightenment and the foundation of the Early Republic of the United States. Benjamin Franklin's reception of "The Morals of Confucius" in his Pensylvanian Gazette (1737) generated a general interest in the Chinese sage and his political philosophy among the Founding Fathers and opened up trade and cultural exchanges with China. This Chinese orientation accompanied the independence efforts and the moral constitution of democratic leadership. In this talk, I will reconstruct this Confucian influence on American politics and discuss its reflection in American culture, as exemplified in Ezra Pound's Chinese Cantos.