MLK: Choosing the Dream in Difficult Times

David Pan

Martin Luther King, Jr., maintained his commitment to nonviolence throughout a period of unrest and violence in U.S. history, and a large part of his legacy consists of this belief in the power of ideals to inspire people to do the right thing. As we navigate our own difficult and polarized political situation, we would do well to reflect on his writings and actions to find our own way forward. We invite you to continue to reflect upon King’s great work as we honor him today.

To delve deeper into the interpretation of King’s words, deeds, and ideas, a great place to start is Telos 182, our special issue devoted to Martin Luther King. While supplies last, save 30% on the print edition of Telos 182: Martin Luther King, Jr.: Fifty Years On in our online store. Read Kenneth Johnson’s introduction to the issue in the TelosScope blog.

Limited-Time Offer for New Subscribers!

Now through Monday, we are offering new subscribers the opportunity to purchase a one-year online-only individual subscription to Telos for only $29.95. Click here to take advantage of the offer. This offer is available to new Telos subscribers only, and the regular renewal rate will apply after the first year. Offer expires 1/19/26 at 11:59 PM ET.

Telos 213 (Winter 2025): China Keywords I

Defining China, From Within and Without

“China saturates Western media and academic discourse . . . while the political and social-theoretical ideas through which China thinks, judges, and interprets that world remain largely unheard.”
—Eric Hendriks and David Pan, “Introduction”

Western analysis often treats China as a projection and reflection of its own values, to be measured from afar. Meanwhile, China’s internal public image is carefully curated by the state and guided by its own conceptual frameworks: feedback governance, cultural subjectivity, hybrid state capitalism.

Telos 213, edited by Eric Hendriks and David Pan, builds on the work of the Telos–Paul Piccone Institute’s China Initiative and its inaugural “China Keywords” conference in New York, asking whether Chinese ideas and institutions can be seen not merely as objects to analyze but as subjects capable of self-analysis and interpretation within a more global framework. Whether you consider China as an ally, competitor, or foe, these essays by authors inside and outside of China provide valuable insights into its domestic debates, historical trajectory, and strategic commitments.

Telos 213 (Winter 2025): China Keywords I is now available for purchase in our store. Individual subscriptions to Telos are also available in both print and online formats.

Telos 213 (Winter 2025): China Keywords I

Introduction
Eric Hendriks and David Pan

Cultural Self-Confidence (文化自信) and Cultural Subjectivity (文化主体性): An Ontology of Self and Subject (open access)
Huimin Jin

Daobi (倒逼): “Reverse Force” on the Chinese Path to Modernization
Sikong Zhao

Controls (統制): The Origins and Logic of Modern Chinese Technocracy
Ernest Ming-tak Leung

State-Owned Enterprises (国有企业): Their Evolution and Persistence in Contemporary China
Henrique Schneider

Chinese Liberalism (中国自由主义): Contemporary Chinese Liberal Intellectuals and Their “Failed Fight”
Qi Zheng

Debating Postliberalism

Postliberalism as Ethos
Mark G. E. Kelly

Defending Liberalism against Its Postliberal Critics
David Pan

Reviews

Chinese Cosmopolitanism (世界主义): A Review of Two Brilliantly Polemical Books
Eric Hendriks

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