Professor Chen Jianlan, Dean of the Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China, moderated the second session of the keynote lecture. In this session, Professor Roger Ames of Peking University/the University of Hawaii (USA) lectured on "Metaphysical Grammar between/of Chinese and Western Thinking". Taking British sinologist Angus Charles Graham (1919-1991) as an example, Prof. Ames briefly reviewed the history of sinology and comparative philosophy in the West. He compared the "ontology" tradition that originated in ancient Greek philosophy and the "zoetology" tradition that was hidden in ancient Chinese thought. He summarized the inherent logic and fundamental differences between these two metaphysics, and thus discussed the possible cosmological, existential, and methodological differences between Chinese and Western philosophies.

Professor Sun Xiangchen, Dean of Philosophy Department at Fudan University, offered a response to Prof. Ames’ lecture. He pointed out that studies on philosophy are indispensable to Sinology studies. Paying attention to the "fundamental differences" between Chinese and Western philosophies, we may develop an essential framework for understanding China and in turn, help us rediscover ourselves. Prof. Sun acknowledged Prof. Ames’ new theory on "zoetology" in Chinese philosophy, which might deepen Heidegger's "Being-towards-death" and expand the space of dialogue between the Western "ontology of becoming" and Chinese thinking.