Lee Chair in Chinese Thought and Culture, University of Toronto
I’ve argued in the past that in early Chinese philosophical discourse the concept of dao (way) is more fundamental than the concept of truth. In a new article, I give a detailed account of just how truth relates to dao in the philosophy of the Xúnzǐ, the early Chinese “masters” text that probably devotes the…
I’ll be speaking at an upcoming conference at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on June 16-17 entitled “Dialogues on the States of the Field: Ethics in the Zhuangzi.” The format of this conference promises to be especially fruitful: junior colleagues at CUHK will present critiques of six prominent interpretations on Zhuangist ethics, and the…
My new book Late Classical Chinese Thought goes on sale in the UK next week. The North American edition is scheduled to be available July 1.
I’ll be speaking on March 10 at the 2023 Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought, to be held at York University March 10–12. This year’s conference organizer is Julianne Chung, and the conference website is here.
I’ll be speaking (virtually) on March 14 at what promises to be a stimulating workshop on the Zhuangzi entitled “2023 Zhuangzi beyond the Inner Chapters in Seoul,” hosted by the K-Academic Expansion Project, Institute of Korean Philosophy and Culture, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, March 14-16. The workshop has been planned and organized by PARK So Jeong…
I’ll be speaking on line Nov 11 as part of the Chinese Philosophy Seminar Series at the University of Warwick. A list of speakers and registration links is posted here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/research/worldphilosophies/activities/chinese_philosophy_seminar_series/ I’ll be reprising the topic of my recent McGill talk, “The Xunzian Critique of Legalism and Its Contemporary Significance.”
On October 4 I’ll be speaking at a colloquium in the Department of East Asian Studies at McGill University in Montreal. I’m grateful to Professors Jeehee Hong and Robin Yates for arranging this event. My topic is “The Xunzian Critique of Legalism and Its Contemporary Significance.” This presentation is a preliminary selection from my work…
I’m looking forward to an upcoming visiting lecture on Sept 30 in the Department of Philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal. The event announcement is here. My lecture will be based on the paper posted here. Much thanks to Jing Hu 胡靜 for arranging the talk, and it will be a delight to visit Montreal,…
I recently had a productive and enjoyable visit with colleagues from the Center for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence, and Neuroscience and the Center for Applied Ethics and Philosophy at Hokkaido University. The title of my talk was “A Path with No End: Skill and Ethics in Zhuangzi and Mozi.” The event announcement is here and…
Congratulations to Douglas Cairns and Curie Virag, who are putting the finishing touches on a novel, collaborative anthology that brings together specialists in early Chinese and ancient Greek thought to explore various understandings of emotion in the Chinese and Hellenistic traditions. The title of this volume, forthcoming from Oxford University Press, is In the Mind,…