The History of Philosophy Forum hosted Michael Puett, Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology at Harvard University and Meghan Sullivan, Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy and director of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and of the Ethics Initiative at the University of Notre Dame for a rountable dialogue on "The Good Life with Responsibility and Freedom." This roundtable dialogue was organized by Liang Cai, associate professor of history at Notre Dame, as the first of three "Dialogues between Eastern Philosophy and Western Traditions," which are meant to foster meaningful exchanges between Eastern and Western philosophers on the themes of responsibility, rights, and virtue. Cai also served as moderator of the dialogue.
Michael Puett and Meghan Sullivan are leading scholars of Eastern and Western ethical traditions, respectively. Both professors have crafted phenomenally successful undergraduate courses. Prof. Puett's "Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory" is Harvard's third most popular undergraduate course, inviting students to reevaluate contemporary assumptions about ethics in light of classical Chinese thought. Prof. Sullivan's "God and the Good Life" at Notre Dame introduces philosophy to students as a "way of life," drawing upon such figures as Plato, Aristotle , and Descartes to present different ways of engaging with questions of ultimate meaning.
In his remarks, Puett considered how the classical Chinese understanding of the self as patterns of energy responsive to environmental stimuli could offer a complementary corrective to the modern concept of the self as a sovereign individual. Sullivan in turn, reflected on how Socrates' project of ethical inquiry, his trial, and his death were evocative of his sense of responsibility and belonging to the city-state of Athens.
As moderator, Cai raised questions about the relationship between freedom and authority in civil society and family relationships. Audience members continued the conversation during the question-and-answer session, inquiring further about classical Chinese models of the self and what it means to inhabit and shape an ethical tradition.
This event was co-sponsored by the History of Philosophy Forum and co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and formed part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum "What Do We Owe Each Other."
Originally published by at historyofphilosophy.nd.edu on April 14, 2025.