Over 485 scholars from 30+ countries and regions gathered in Beijing for the first World Conference of Classics, sparking a cross-cultural dialogue about how Socrates, Confucius, and other legends still shape our TikTok-and-AI-driven world. 🏛️✨
Greek Wisdom Meets Chinese Classics
Manolis Korres from the Academy of Athens drew parallels between Socrates' truth-seeking methods and Confucian ethics, calling them 'blueprints for modern critical thinking.' Meanwhile, Prof. Hans van Ess highlighted how texts like Mengzi and Shiji are 'linguistic time capsules' shaping today’s Mandarin.
Why Classics Matter in 2024
Princeton’s Martin Kern proposed a global 'collab mode' for scholars: 'Imagine Plato’s Academy teaming up with Confucian scholars on climate ethics!' 🌱 The consensus? Classical studies aren’t just dusty scrolls—they’re toolkits for tackling inequality, AI ethics, and cultural divides.
The Big Takeaway
As one attendee put it: 'Studying Aristotle’s politics or the Zhuangzi isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about hacking ancient code to debug modern society.' 💻🔍 Let’s just say Socrates would’ve killed it on Threads.
