Robins to HKU

Dan Robins, a frequent contributor to this blog, has accepted a job offer from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. Congratulations, Dan! Dan joins several other colleagues at HKU working in Chinese philosophy: Chad Hansen, who has returned to teach common core curriculum courses on behalf of the Department of Philosophy; Tang Siufu, in the School of Chinese; Joseph Chan, in the Department of Politics and Public Administration; and myself, in the Department of Philosophy.

Philosophy Job Opening at HKU

HKU’s Department of Philosophy has an opening for an assistant professor of philosophy. The area of specialization for the post is not Chinese philosophy, but preference is likely to be given to candidates with competence in Chinese or Chinese-Western comparative philosophy in addition to another area. So people working in Chinese or comparative philosophy are strongly encouraged to apply.

The first paragraphs of the advertisement run as follows:

“Moderation in Burials,” 21st Century Version

The Mohist doctrine of “Moderation in Burial” seems to be winning converts among officials in China these days.

The New York Times reports that “After a quarter of a century in which the gap between rich and poor has steadily widened, the wretched excesses of the affluent are increasingly a Chinese government concern.”

“Ostentatious tombs are particularly irksome…because many Chinese find even a simple grave marker beyond their means. In a coinage that captures the widespread frustration, someone struggling to afford burial costs is called a ‘grave slave.’”

Zhuangzi, Emotions, and the Good Life

Are intense emotions a necessary part of a good life? This seems a partly normative, partly psychological question. I’m interested in hearing what others think about it.

In a recent article in Asian Philosophy I take some preliminary steps toward understanding and partly defending a Zhuangist stance on emotion, which I dub the “Virtuoso View.” (A precis of the article can be found here.) I characterize this view roughly as follows:

Job opening at HKU in Chinese philosophy

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Hong Kong has a job opening in Chinese philosophy. Details are posted here. The position is being advertised at the assistant professor level, but candidates at associate professor rank are also encouraged to consider applying.

Job opening in Chinese philosophy

Lingnan University, in Hong Kong, is seeking to hire an associate or assistant professor in Chinese philosophy. This is an excellent opportunity for a suitable candidate: Lingnan is a lively department with a group of sharp philosophers and a pleasant working environment.

Details are here. Applications are still welcome.

D. C. Lau, 1921-2010

I’ve just learned that Professor D. C. Lau, well known to all of us for his translations and scholarly articles, passed away on Monday, April 26. An obituary appears here. For the past few years, Professor Lau had lived on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Daoist Liberalism

In comment #14 in this thread, I suggested that “parts of the Zhuāngzǐ are committed to a form of political liberalism, on which all individuals should be allowed to live, without government interference, in a way that comes naturally to and pleases them, provided they allow others to do so as well.”

It occurred to me that explicating this claim might make for an interesting post.

The Chinese political tradition is generally regarded as authoritarian, in cases even totalitarian, in both theory and practice. This view is one basis for certain claims about differences between traditional Asian and contemporary Western political cultures, which have sometimes been cited as grounds for resisting liberal democratic reforms in Asian countries.

Hong Kong U Fellowship in Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong is inviting applications for a special postdoctoral fellowship in HKU’s “Society of Scholars,” a programme that began last year. The fellowship is intended for recent PhD graduates (degree received within the last two years) or those about to receive the PhD. Information on the Society is available here. Application information is available here.

New Comparative Philosophy Journal

Bo Mou (San Jose State University, USA) has recently founded a new journal called Comparative Philosophy, described as “an international journal of constructive engagement of distinct approaches toward world philosophy.” The new journal’s website is here. The table of contents of volume 1, no. 1, scheduled to appear in January 2010, follows.

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme

Some news of interest to students considering pursuing a Ph.D. in Chinese or comparative philosophy:

The Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong government has recently established a Ph.D. fellowship scheme aimed at attracting outstanding students from all parts of the world to pursue full-time Ph.D. studies in Hong Kong’s universities. The fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 (the equivalent of more than US $30,000/year) and an annual conference or research-related travel allowance of HK$10,000 for either three or four years, depending on the degree program in which a student is enrolled. Over the next year, 135 of these fellowships will be awarded to students at institutions in Hong Kong.

Details about the scheme as it pertains to the University of Hong Kong are available here. (For other universities, see their respective websites.) The application deadline is December 1.