On 21st February 2025, CERC hosted a seminar titled A Critique of Critical Thinking, featuring a dialogue between Mr. Kong (played by Professor Daniel A. Bell) and Mr. Hu (played by Professor Jeremy Rappleye, the director of CERC).

In this engaging session, Professor Bell, Chair of Political Theory at the Faculty of Law, HKU, took on the role of Mr. Kong to critique the modern educational emphasis on critical thinking, drawing on passages from the Analects of Confucius. Responding in the role of Mr. Hu, Professor Rappleye raised objections inspired by liberal thought, sparking a lively and thought-provoking exchange between Confucian and liberal perspectives. This session was joined by participants from online and onsite.

Professor Bell, a distinguished scholar whose works include The Dean of Shandong (2023) and The China Model (2015), among others, brought deep insights into the cultural and philosophical underpinnings of education debates in this event.

The seminar offered a unique opportunity to reconsider the foundations of educational values in an era that increasingly prizes critical thinking.