Prof. TU Weiming, the Director of Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies (IAHS) at Peking University, was invited by Soongsil University to give the 5th Soongsil Presidential Lecture on the evening of November 17, 2016 at Seoul, Korea. Prof. Tu delivered a paper entitled Confucian Wisdom for the Future of Humanity.

The lecture room at Soongsil University was packed with more than 1,300 students and faculties. Prof. Tu spoke for an hour and after which there was a Q & A session. During the lecture, Prof. Tu urged the need for learning in order to be able to stand as a person, “We must be able to help and harmonize society through self-understanding and learning”; in particular, he stated that “learning is defined by the knowledge and skills, which can change us” and “dynamic and creative transformation process of oneself” is important. Prof. Tu also said, “The difference between human and animal is compassion, the ability of sympathy.” He concluded, “It is necessary for a subjective person to sympathize and resonate with the world.”

Soongsil Presidential Lecture is an annual lecture series for distinguished scholars. In previous years, the Lecture had invited Paul KRUGMAN, Michael SANDEL, Thomas FREY and other scholar to be the speakers.