Roger T. Ames on Human Becomings and Moral Education: in Conversation with Qasir Shah

Abstract Roger T. Ames is a leading contemporary interpreter of Confucian philosophy and a central figure in the development of Confucian role ethics. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Hawai‘i and currently teaches Chinese philosophy at Peking University (PKU). His work spans comparative philosophy, classical Chinese thought, pragmatism, Daoist and Confucian philosophy, and philosophy of education, with a sustained focus on relational personhood, moral cultivation, and the transformation of experience. In this interview, Ames reflects on education as the lifelong formation of the whole person, rather than as the acquisition of discrete skills or outcomes narrowly defined by institutional metrics. Drawing on Confucian philosophy, pragmatism, and his own pedagogical experience, he presents education as a transformative, relational process grounded in habitude and example. The conversation addresses the shift from ‘human beings’ to ‘human becomings’, the ethical centrality of family and lived roles, the inseparability of teaching and learning, and the responsibilities of educators as moral exemplars. It also considers assessment, authority, democracy, and integrity in contemporary educational life. Throughout, Ames articulates a relational vision of education oriented towards holistic and inclusive rather than zero-sum flourishing and shared human growth.