The ISCP just informed its members of the sudden and sad passing of Prof. Vincent Shen, scholar of Chinese philosophy and religion and, since 2000, the Lee Chair in Chinese Thought and Culture at the University of Toronto. He was a past President and Executive Director of the ISCP, and dedicated himself to enhancing and expanding the appreciation of Chinese thought in a global setting. Some info about his scholarly activities and output can be found on his faculty page. Please share any other thoughts or links you may have.
Prof. Shen was an incredibly warm and supportive mentor and colleague, quick with a smile and possessing a playful sense of humor. He was very broad in his learning and had a deep appreciation for the history of philosophy. I’m honored to have studied with him as a graduate student in Toronto in the early 2000s, where we were part of a regular game of ‘Philosopher’s Ping Pong’ (he was more skilled than his students). He was very active and I feel fortunate to have spent time with him in Seoul this past year at a conference on Confucian Spirituality hosted by Sogang University. I will remember his wide, bright grins, the timbre of his voice, and his inquisitive scholarly nature.
Our condolences to all those who knew him.
This is such a shock — and such a loss. Almost exactly a year ago I was in Toronto and hosted by Vincent at a wonderful, warm, and delicious Chinese meal … hard to believe he is gone.
It’s really sad to hear this! He was an exceptionally kind person indeed. My deepest condolences.
The University of Toronto has set up a memorial page for Vincent Shen. You can visit it here, and share your own thoughts. You can choose to post publicly or privately to his surviving family.
http://www.eas.utoronto.ca/onlinememorialprofshen/