A Calligraphic Interpretation of Confucianism — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

A Calligraphic Interpretation of Confucianism

Name: Anthony Craven
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Frankfort, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project

Abstract

The Chinese culture revolves around several philosophies regarding morals and how one should ideally conduct oneself; Confucianism is one of the most ancient and foundational teachings. As the title alludes to, the Five Constant Virtues developed by Confucius define the broad attributes one should strive to achieve: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity. Nonetheless, these English descriptors do not do justice to the depth of the original teachings. My project aims to interpret Confucius’ teachings through the aesthetic beauty of the Chinese characters, or Hanzi (汉字). The five teachings, written in the Chinese style －a vertical scroll, provide a visual manifestation and an unvarnished interpretation of the timelessness of Confucianism. As a neuroscientist, two of these virtues resonate with me on a daily basis: the first virtue, rén 仁, represents, more than benevolence, a holistic and interpersonal worldview always striving to attain interactive harmony and wisdom/cognitive order. The fourth virtue, zhì 智 represents enlightened knowledge －a trait that defines sage-hood, the ability to distill spiritual significance from material realm. The artistry and grace of the radicals and strokes that constitute each character speak eloquently and explain powerfully what one cannot grasp through the wall of the English language. Even one who is unfamiliar with the culture and the language can pulsate together with the heartbeat of Confucianism through the calligraphy.

Poster file