Panel 2F: Transcodifications in/of the Ancient World/1
Session 2 – July 1, 15:30 – 17:00
The Conception and Reaction of Hamartia in a Horizon of Ancient Greek and Chinese
Since Aristotle employedἁμαρτία(hamartia)as a reason for human suffering in his Poetics(1453a), discussions about its meaning or significance have never ceased. The extant researchesonἁμαρτία, most of them, are trend to the semantics study ofἁμαρτία.This research aims on Greek tragedy by considering the conception ofἁμαρτίαand how it can be reacted in ancient Chines eculture. It will cross-compare the conception ofἁμαρτίαin ancient Chineseand how extant ancient Chinese literature(before HanDynasty) react withἁμαρτία.Confucius particularly stressed on how tomendἁμαρτία,1so Confucians developed moral ethics about the theory of being a gentleman. But Greek particularly emphasized on the outcome ofἁμαρτία, so they triggered the tragedy. Thus, the so-called ancient Greek society is known as “guilt culture and the ancient Chinese society is referred to as “shame culture.”To compare ancient Chinese conception and reactionon ἁμαρτία, it could reveal how different cultures resolved the conception of ἁμαρτίαin different emphasizing points.
Bio
RongzhenXueis a Ph.D. candidate in Greek in the Department of Classics at the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Hereceived his bachelor’s honor degree in History fromYunnan Normal University, Chinaand a master’s degree in World History in Northeast Normal University, China. His master thesis “Semantic Analysis and Interpretation on Greek Word ἁμαρτία” won the Outstanding Prize of Graduation Thesis in Northeast Normal University. His research interests focus on the Greek tragedy and comparative study between Greek and Chinese culture.