Upcoming Events For Fall 2026:
David Wong
Duke University
CLHIPP 791,
Aug. 28, 2026, 3:30pm
A Comparative Study on Trust and Trustworthiness
My talk will seek to clarify the relational nature of xìn 信 as a virtue in Confucian ethics and political philosophy. It is often translated as "trustworthiness," but that translation standing by itself leaves out "trust" as another possible meaning depending on the context. More importantly, there is a human logic that connects the two meanings through a kind of feedback loop: being trustworthy can encourage trust in another; trusting another can encourage trustworthiness in that person. The idea that virtue is a bond of friendship is familiar to Aristotle, of course. But Confucian ethics highlights trust and trustworthiness as engines of moral development in a way Aristotle does not. A thriving area of research in Western contemporary philosophy has been on trust and trustworthiness, and some of the most interesting work has been precisely on their developmental functions. There is quite a bit of overlap and synergy to be explored through a comparative approach. My talk will conclude with the question of whether at least some of the insights about trust and trustworthiness in interpersonal friendships can apply to the social and political realm. Aristotle seems to suggest as much with his emphasis on the importance of civic friendship. Confucius also famously declares that the one thing a government cannot do without is trust, ahead of arms and even food.
Contact: Brandon Waldon (BWALDON@mailbox.sc.edu)
Kevin C. Elliott
Michigan State
CLHIPP 791,
Sept. 25, 2026, 3:30pm
Contact: Brandon Waldon (BWALDON@mailbox.sc.edu)
Thomas Pendlebury
U of Chicago
CLHIPP 791,
Oct 9, 2026, 3:30pm
Contact: Brandon Waldon (BWALDON@mailbox.sc.edu)