My Progressive Confucian Journey

Abstract

This essay examines the engagement between Progressive Confucianism and Mainland China in three steps. I begin with a narrative of how I came to be someone who identifies as Confucian and advocates Progressive Confucianism. Part II examines an especially important phase in this evolution: the series of ten dialogues I held with Mainland Chinese Confucians in the Spring of 2017. I give an overview of the topics we debated, themes that cut across individual dialogues, and indicate some of the diversity of views among Mainland Confucians—and how all this relates to Progressive Confucianism. The essay concludes with some reflections on the dialogues, including notable points of agreement and disagreement, key areas in which I felt that I had learned from the conversations, and some thoughts about the future of Progressive Confucianism in China.