Confucian Dialogue: Harmony in Diversity
Qasir Shah (UCL IOE)

Although the twenty-first century has seen unprecedented global interconnectivity, it has witnessed fragmentation, conflicts, and ethnic and religious warfare. In response I offer a classical Confucian perspective on dialogue predicated on a personhood that is metaphysically tied to others embodying the virtues: Rén (humanity) and Lǐ (ritual propriety). Such a person seeks to cultivate interpersonal harmony (Hé), presupposing diversity, because difference is part of the human condition. I discuss how Confucian dialogue, underpinned on such a conceptualisation of personhood, might be conducted between antagonists to possibly prevent one from seeing the other as someone to be feared, loathed and destroyed.

Qasir Shah is the Co-Route Leader for UCL’s MA Education (Citizenship) programme. He is in the process of writing up his thesis on Confucian ethics and education. He has published on a variety of subjects such as English education policy, citizenship education, democracy, and Confucian ethics and the role of the teacher. Qasir is also an Elected Member of PESGB’s Executive Committee.

A paper is attached here.

For further inquiries: Yuxin Su (yuxin.su.16@ucl.ac.uk).

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