Confucian Debate in Vietnam during the Early-20th-century —— The case of Phan Khoi and Tran Trong Kim

Title

Confucian Debate in Vietnam during the Early-20th-century —— The case of Phan Khoi and Tran Trong Kim

Author

Ha Duong Xuan NGOC, Ha-Thu NGUYEN, Viet-Phuong NGUYEN

Page

173-214

DOI

10.6163/TJEAS.202512_22(2).0005

Abstract

Throughout the history of Confucianism in East Asia, academic debates were common, which contributed to the theoretical growth of Confucianism and adapted to the characteristics of each historical period. Surprisingly, unlike other countries in the region, Vietnam has seen hardly any significant debates on Confucianism over the centuries. In that context, the debate between Phan Khoi and Tran Trong Kim can be considered one of the most notable events in Confucianism in Vietnam during the first half of the twentieth century. Based on a series of question-and-answer exchanges between Phan Khoi and Tran Trong Kim published in the long-running article on Phu Nu Tan Van (Vietnam), the paper focused on analyzing the debate between the two scholars on various Confucian issues, including Confucius and Neo-Confucianism, atheism or theism, practicing the mean, monarchy and democracy, intuition and reason, Confucianism and Western science, and critiques of Confucius and Mencius's logic. By studying the case of the debate between Phan Khoi and Tran Trong Kim, the authors aim to not only introduce the most famous Confucian debate in Vietnam during the first half of the twentieth century, but also contribute to the clarification of academic issues surrounding Confucianism in its interrelationship with Western science and philosophy.

Keyword

Phan Khoi, Tran Trong Kim, Confucian Debate, Confucianism, Vietnam philosophical thought

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