Xúnzǐ develops a sophisticated metaethics, semantic theory, and epistemology according to which the content of language and thought is determined through socially coordinated, norm-governed activity directed at fulfilling human interests. Xúnzǐ sees this activity as subject to causal constraints imposed by the natural environment, which determine the success or failure of what we do. The result is an intriguing approach to explaining the content of what we say and think that leaves no space for a gap to open up between mind and world. For on Xúnzǐ’s picture, even failed activity engages with the world, and the diachronic nature of causal constraints on our activity ensures repeated, ongoing opportunities to correct cognitive error. In this talk, I sketch the Xúnzian view of how the mind relates to the world and highlight its distinctive features through a comparison with the widely discussed “Naturalized Platonism” of John McDowell. Xúnzǐ’s approach, I suggest, offers fundamental advantages over McDowell’s. An intriguing consequence of a Xúnzian approach is a shift in the focus of epistemology to the role of epistemic virtues such as competence, judiciousness, and conscientiousness.

Online
No registration is required.
Meeting ID: 912 9593 3416
Link: https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/91295933416
 

Face-to-face
Register by 25 January 2024
Link: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13681897

In this interdisciplinary talk, Prof Murphy will discuss the impact of the "pictorial turn" identified by W. J. T Mitchell in the 20th century. It analyses how selected contemporary novels have responded to a proliferation of images in modern society and demonstrates how they incorporate visual encounters in their narratives, exemplifying a deep intermedial integration of word and image. This analysis argues that the porous form of the novel has proven to be an eminently suitable place of cohabitation with the visual arts, demonstrated most vividly in its innovative use of ekphrasis.

Mitchell, W. J. T. Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation. University of Chicago
Press, 1994: 3.

In this talk, Dr Katie Beswick will look at different methodological approaches to undertaking research in urban performance cultures: covering ethnography, practice-research, arts methods and theoretical framing. She will speak about how research ethics legislation and conventions in the UK have framed her approach to conducting research with participants in a variety of contexts (from professional artists to social housing residents). We will look at how various methods have been applied in Dr Beswick’s projects, and there will be a workshop session in which we will explore how China studies students and scholars might adapt these methods for their own practices.
 

Speaker 
Dr Katie Beswick
Dr Katie Beswick is the Programme Director for BA Arts Management at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a scholar with wide interests in the city sound cultures, along with issues of identity, class and urbanism. Her published work includes a book on hip hop theatre (Making Hip Hop Theatre with Conrad Murray), as well as numerous works covering issues of housing, politics, performance and urban culture.

In 2019 and 2020, the Philosophy Department at National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted two inter-departmental exchange workshops with us. On 2-3 February 2024, our department will reciprocate and host the "The 3rd Joint Philosophy Symposium of CUHK-NTU:
Dialogues between Traditional Philosophy and Scientific Philosophy" at our university, in collaboration with NTU’s Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics, which specializes in interdisciplinary and inter-traditional philosophy.

Speaker
Lok-Chi CHAN 陳樂知 (NTU)
Yong HUANG 黃勇 (CUHK)
I-Kai JENG 鄭義愷 (NTU)
Nihel JHOU 周先捷 (NTU)
Hayden KEE (CUHK)
Caleb LIANG 梁益堉 (NTU)
Fan-lun MANG 孟繁麟 (CUHK)
Christian WENZEL 文哲 (NTU)
Jiji ZHANG 張寄冀 (CUHK)
Lei ZHONG 鍾磊 (CUHK)

Register for face-to-face event as audience by 29 January 2024 (Limited seats. Registrations will be handled on a first come, first served basis): 
https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13680204

Join the symposium on Zoom (no registration required)
Meeting ID: 978 8338 6654
Link: https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/97883386654

You are cordially invited to join the Anthropology Friday Seminar on 19 January, which is a book launch for Prof. Leilah Vevaina’s newly published book, "Trust Matters: Parsi Endowments in Mumbai and the Horoscope of a City" (Duke University Press 2023). Please note this event will be held on 3:00pm at the University Bookstore.

Speaker 
Leilah Vevaina
Assistant Professor of Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Speaker 
Dr. HU Xiaoqian, Lara
Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

In this paper, I discuss three organizing principles: Principle of the Identity of Indiscernible (PII), Determinism, and Locality. These principles together form the foundation of experimental and theoretical physics. Organizing principles are those that must be assumed to be a working hypothesis to perform experiments and interpret their results, and so cannot be affected by results of such experiments: PII (“[t]hings which are different must differ in something or must have within themselves some diversity that can be noted” (L529)) that helps us to identify a physical event as “the same” as another physical event; “Determinism” that tells us that a physical event can pertain to one and only one trajectory of events, hence it allows us to individuate physical events in time; and “Locality” allows us to separate one physical event from another, hence it allows us to individuate physical events in space. My argument and examples only stay in the domain of non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The generalization of the investigation is limited to this realm.

My argument is twofold. First, I will argue that the three pillars above are necessary pre- conditions for experimental and theoretical physics, as they allow us to conduct experiments that underwrite physical laws. Second, I will argue that since these three principles are all principles of what it means to be “the same” (in general, in space, in time), then if one of them fails, all of them fail.

Face-to-face
Register by 18 January 2024
Link: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13680877 

Online
No registration is required.
Meeting ID: 951 7043 3376
Link: https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/95170433376

Speaker 講者
Dr. Christopher SIWICKI 
Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Exeter

Urban redevelopment creates winners and losers. The monuments of ancient Rome are visually impressive, but they often overlie residential area. Many Greek and Latin authors eulogise feats of construction, but others express uneasiness about, even hostility to, such works. While the double-edged sword of urban development in contemporary cities continues to be the focus of intense scrutiny, scholarship on the ancient Roman world predominantly emphasises the positive aspects of monumental architecture – baths, forums, temples, entertainment complexes. Yet what was the impact of these large structure on the people who actually lived around them? What was the opposition to such projects? Questioning the assumption that ‘public’ buildings necessarily benefit the ‘public’ this papers examines the harmful side of building activity in antiquity.

ZOOM Meeting ID: 990 8868 4183
Meeting link: https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/99088684183

Format: In-person meeting & ZOOM meeting

【Ageda】https://reurl.cc/dLeYN6

【Organization】
The Centre for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism, CUHK 
Centre of Buddhist Studies, Peking University
Institute of Buddhism and Theory of Religion, Renmin University of China
Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism
 

The AIA Scholarships are part of AIA's generous pledge of US$100 million initiated in 2020, aiming to sponsor local undergraduates with excellent academic performance who are actively involved in community service to pursue university education in Hong Kong.

Sharing from Awardees

One of the scholars, Tracy Wong (Year 2/Cultural Studies), has actively participated in a variety of voluntary activities, such as providing support to elderly and SEN students over the past few years. Last year, she was honored to be a member of the FPAHK's volunteer group "Red Face No More," which is dedicated to promoting sex education in the community.

Another scholar, Beatrice Chan (Year 2/Linguistics), is dedicated to serving the community with her knowledge and heart and has significantly impacted the lives of children and teens from low-income families. She is grateful for receiving the scholarship and will leverage it as a steppingstone to further empower these young individuals through her future career.

About AIA Scholarships
The AIA Scholarships offer 100 yearly scholarships across 10 local universities to Year 1 local undergraduate students. The scholars will each receive an award of HK$50,000 for every year of their undergraduate studies. These scholarships are renewable annually, subject to the satisfaction of scholarship renewal criteria.

Apply Now for the 2023/24!
Excited about what the future holds? The 2023/24 AIA Scholarships application is open until January 15, 2024. Programme details and the application form are available here.

Speaker 
Prof. Chow Po Chung
Associate Professor, Department of Government and Public Administration, CUHK

If you are interested to join, please register the 1st talk at: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13680095 by 30 January 2024 (Tuesday).
(Limited seats. Registration will be handled on a first come, first served basis)