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3A New Look at the Classical Chinese Dào of the Relation between Word and WorldRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 95 181-198. 2024.I argue that the absence of some of the ‘greatest hits’ of Western philosophy in Classical China can be explained by a Wittgensteinian take on the role of language in philosophy. One is the ‘Idea Theory’ of meaning which anchors Western Mind-Body dualism. Its attraction is removed when the writing reminds us that a picture does not by itself ‘give life to’ our language even while it plays a role of cross-linguistic communication. Another is the centrality of a law-command theory of normativity w…Read more
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11Chinese PhilosophersIn Robert L. Arrington (ed.), A Companion to the Philosophers, Wiley-blackwell. 1991.Some of the authors of the essays on Chinese philosophers prefer the pin yin system of romanization for Chinese names and words, while others prefer the Wade‐Giles system. Given that both systems are in wide use today, important names and words are given in both their pin yin and Wade‐Giles formulations. The author's preference is printed first, followed by the alternative romanization within brackets.
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7Chinese Confucianism and DaoismIn Charles Taliaferro & Philip L. Quinn (eds.), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion, Wiley-blackwell. 1997.This chapter contains sections titled: The Problem of Definition Problems of Interpretation Nature and Convention Transcendence Death and the Afterlife Problems of Evil Fatalism and Free Will? Divine Command Theory Piety and Divine Simplicity Works cited.
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43. The Relatively Happy FishIn Roger T. Ames & Takahiro Nakajima (eds.), Zhuangzi and the Happy Fish, University of Hawaii Press. pp. 50-77. 2015.
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16Tao Te Ching: On the Art of Harmony: The New Illustrated Edition of the Chinese Philosophical MasterpieceDuncan Baird Publishers. 2009.Although written more than 2,500 years ago and within a radically different culture, the Tao Te Ching's concepts and teachings have become more influential in the West than ever before. Laozi, the Chinese sage and founder of Taoism, sets out a path (tao) that allows us to tune in to the nature of the universe. His axioms are intended to help us achieve transcendence and a life of integrity and balance: they explore the importance of male and female complementary qualities while praising self-kno…Read more
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7Herbert Fingarette, Confucius: The Secular as Sacred, Harper Torch-books, 84 pp., 1972, $ 1.95Journal of Chinese Philosophy 3 (2): 197-204. 1976.
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19Hsün Yüeh : The Life and Reflections of an Early Medieval ConfucianHsun Yueh : The Life and Reflections of an Early Medieval Confucian (review)Journal of the American Oriental Society 101 (3): 388. 1981.
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Language in the heart-mindIn Robert Elliott Allinson (ed.), Understanding the Chinese Mind: The Philosophical Roots, Oxford University Press. pp. 75--124. 1989.
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96Mass nouns and "a white horse is not a horse"Philosophy East and West 26 (2): 189-209. 1976.The most famous paradox in chinese philosophy, Kung-Sun lung's "white horse not horse" has been taken as evidence of platonism, Aristotelian essentialism, Class logic, Etc., In ancient chinese thought. I argue that a nominalistic interpretation utilizing the notion of "stuffs" (mass objects) is a more plausible explanation of the dialogue. It is more coherent internally, More consistent with kung-Sun lung's other dialogues, And the tradition of chinese thought which is usually regarded as nomina…Read more
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31Reading with understanding: Interpretive method in Chinese philosophyDao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 4 (2): 341-346. 2005.Sinologists tend toward self-descriptions of their methodology that suggests that they read ancient Chinese Philosophy texts and then interpret them as separate steps. The "reading" is what training in the language is supposed to enable and interpreters who are skeptical of traditional readings (e.g. the present author) can be portrayed as people who have not learned (or not learned properly) how to read. I argue here that reading in its natural sense in this context presupposes understanding, t…Read more
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58Qing (Emotions) fjf in Pre-3uddhist Chinese ThoughtIn Roger Ames, Robert C. Solomon & Joel Marks (eds.), Emotions in Asian Thought: A Dialogue in Comparative Philosophy, Suny Press. pp. 181. 1995.
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110Fa (standards: Laws) and meaning changes in chinese philosophyPhilosophy East and West 44 (3): 435-488. 1994.Argues that throughout the classical period in China, the word `fa' consistently means measurable, publicly accessible standards for the application of terms used in behavioral guidance. Review of the Daoist analysis of the meaning of fa; Original philosophical role of fa; Detail of Chinese philosopher Han Feizi's theories on the legal use of the term `fa.'
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17Desultory Notes on Language and Semantics in Ancient ChinaLanguage and Logic in Ancient ChinaJournal of the American Oriental Society 105 (2): 309. 1985.
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39The normative impact of comparative ethics: Human rightsIn Kwong-Loi Shun & David B. Wong (eds.), Confucian Ethics: A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy, and Community, Cambridge University Press. pp. 72--99. 2004.
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288A Daoist theory of Chinese thought: a philosophical interpretationOxford University Press. 1992.This ambitious book presents a new interpretation of Chinese thought guided both by a philosopher's sense of mystery and by a sound philosophical theory of meaning. That dual goal, Hansen argues, requires a unified translation theory. It must provide a single coherent account of the issues that motivated both the recently untangled Chinese linguistic analysis and the familiar moral-political disputes. Hansen's unified approach uncovers a philosophical sophistication in Daoism that traditional ac…Read more
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52Remembering Mass: Response to Yang Xiaomei (review)Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 10 (4): 541-546. 2011.
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105How Chinese Thought “Shapes” Western ThoughtThe Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy 12 25-40. 2001.I begin this paper with some autobiographical reflections of my own journey in Chinese languages and philosophy not only in order to demonstrate how Chinese philosophy can change one’s attitudes toward Western philosophy, but also to suggest that the shift in philosophical perspective that occurs—when viewed through a Chinese lens—is reasonable. The second half of this paper consists of interpretative hypotheses about the content of Chinese philosophy vis-à-vis the West. I reflect more specifica…Read more
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52Classical chinese philosophy as linguistic analysisJournal of Chinese Philosophy 14 (3): 309-330. 1987.
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113The relatively happy fishAsian Philosophy 13 (2 & 3). 2003.Zhuangzi and Hui Shi's discussion about whether Zhuangzi knows 'fish's happiness' is a Daoist staple. The interpretations, however, portray it as humorous miscommunication between a mystic and a logician. I argue for a fine inferential analysis that explains the argument in a way that informs Zhuangzi philosophical lament at Hui Shi's passing. It also reverses the dominant image of the two thinkers. Zhuangzi emerges as the superior dialectician, the clearer, more analytic epistemologist. Hui Shi…Read more
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Law |
Asian Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Philosophy of Language |
Meta-Ethics |
Asian Philosophy |