During this and next week, a series of academic events is taking place at Soochow University in Taipei that might be of interest to you.
First, Michael Slote, UST Professorof Ethics at the University of Miami, is delivering the annual Soochow Lectures in Philosophy. Professor Slote is a renowned philosopher and one of the most influential representatives of care ethics and moral sentimentalism. The lecture series is entitled “New Directions in East and West” and Professor Slote will speak on “The Importance of Phenomenology” on Monday, May 21 and “How Important is Moral Self-Cultivation?” on Wednesday, May 23 and on “Receptivity and Two Advantages of Chinese Thought” on Friday, May 25. All lectures start at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at the International Conference Hall at Soochow University. Like earlier lectures, the Soochow Lecture 2012 will be published at Princeton University Press (for more information see here).
In the Soochow Lecture 2012, Professor Slote will present a virtue-ethicist approach focusing on the virtue of receptivity, while at the same time engaging with certain topics of Chinese thought. One of his most interesting claims might be the one that the traditional Chinese emphasis on a balance between the virtues of rational control and receptivity anticipates to some extent his own framework. Thus, in his last lecture on friday, he will directly address contemporary philosophers in the Chinese-speaking world and encourage them “to become more aware of their own advantages, of the fact that their traditional, historical philosophizing has been much less one-sided or unbalanced than what is so typical of the history of Western thought”. If you happen to be in Taipei, don’t miss this lecture series!
Second, a series of academic dialogues and paper sessions will take place next week at Soochow University, among them a philosophical dialogue between Professor Slote and Ernest Sosa, Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University (Monday, 28). Professor Sosa is a well-known contemporary epistemologist who defends a form of virtue epistemology. Again, this dialogue among two of the most important representatives of virtue theory might be of interest to you and promisses to be an exciting event.
Here is the preliminary schedule:
May 28, 13:30 – 17:00 – Discussion between Michael Slote and Ernest Sosa.
May 29, 13:30 – 17:30 – Paper Session and Round Table Discussion, including Michael Slote, Ernest Sosa, Peter Graham, Stephen R. Grimm, Kim-chong Chong, Huichieh Loy, JeeLoo Liu et al.
May 30, 13:30 – 17:30 – Paper Session (“Virtue Epistemology and Chinese Philosophy”)
A more detailed schedule (only in Chinese) is available on-line. All events take place at Soochow University, Main Building No. 2, D 1005.
Gee, wish I could be there.
One of his most interesting claims might be the one that the traditional Chinese emphasis on a balance between the virtues of rational control and receptivity anticipates to some extent his own framework.
That — or at the very least the idea that early Chinese thought has plenty to offer on techniques of receptivity — sounds to me very promising.
To whom is the event open? I see advertised events on the site occasionally, but don’t know who makes the guest list. Steve Angle invited me to the “Virtue and Moral Luck” session (http://www.scu.edu.tw/philos/2011virtue%20and%20luck/welcome.htm: Thanks again!), and so I assumed that the events were open by invitation only.
Hi Joshua,
in principle the events are open to everybody (no need for invitation), so you are of course welcome to join us! The lecture series is taking place at the International Conference Hall at Soochow University, so there are enough seats for everybody. For the academic conference next week, there might be less space available, but if you arrive early enough, you should be able to get a seat!