Transcendence and Immanence in Confucianism and Christianity

Immanence and transcendence have always been key elements of a religious vision. In Christianity they are correlative rather than contradictory; thus the greater the transcendence the greater the immanence or presence of the divine in all creation, including the human heart.

There could be special insights in this regard in Confucianism and other Chinese philosophies. Despite the insistence of many that there is no transcendence in the Christian sense, there is much in Chinese culture about Heaven, the Temple of Heaven and "all under Heaven". Moreover the strong notion in Chinese culture of an inner transcendence suggests that there may be important mutual contributions with the Christian notion of a correspondence of transcendence with immanence.

This is an issue not only of special promise in these days of global interchange, but of the need to assure human dignity in times which can prove to be dehumanizing. Hence the topic promises to be of special interest and of important value for our times.

Logistics

There is no application fee. Travel will be covered by the participants or their home institutions.

For further information please contact Professor Huang Chao [[email protected]].