Author Archives: The Doc
Vassar in Chinese
While designing my new business cards, I discovered an interesting tidbit: there is no standard Chinese name for Vassar. I went with 瓦薩 Wǎsà because it seems to be the most common one on the web. However, I have also … Continue reading
Can studying philosophy make you a better person?
One of the many people who is considerably smarter and more productive than I am is Eric Schwitzgebel, whose writes the blog, The Splintered Mind. One of Eric’s many research interests is the question of whether there is any empirical … Continue reading
Am I a good professor?
I think so, but even my own best evidence is of questionable reliability: I get very high numerical evaluations by students in my classes. These are on forms that are distributed only to students in my class, and the results … Continue reading
Poker Is Potentially Profitable People!
First of all, I should warn readers of this blog (if there ever are any) that, as the title of this entry illustrates, I am overly fond of consonance. But let’s move past the style to the substance. I got … Continue reading
What Can You Do with a Philosophy Major?
I’m on the mailing list for the Vassar Venture Capitalists Club. (Long story.) Anyway, their “Entrepreneur of the Month” is a 2006 graduate who started her own business: “Dapper Dog Training.” Did she major in economics? No. She majored in … Continue reading
Advice to student contemplating a doctorate in Chinese philosophy
An undergraduate recently emailed me, asking for advice about getting a doctorate in Chinese philosophy. The student explained that he was particularly interested in the comparative study of epistemology and the philosophy of language from an analytic perspective. In addition … Continue reading
Typos in Mengzi: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries (Hackett)
p. 9, at the end of 1A7, change “Gentleman cannot bear” to “Gentlemen cannot bear” More to come (I’m sure).
Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought
Announcing the Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought, to be held at Wesleyan University on Friday and Saturday, November 8-9, 2013. The goals of the Northeast Conference on Chinese Thought (NECCT) are twofold: To provide a regional forum for everyone from … Continue reading
Response to Stephen Angle, Susan Blake, and Jiyuan Yu
RESPONSE TO STEPHEN ANGLE, SUSAN BLAKE, AND JIYUAN YU B.W.V.N. Jiyuan Yu generously organized a panel discussion at the 2009 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association on my translation: Mengzi: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, … Continue reading
Poker and Game Theory
In order to play your hand in poker, you have to follow a strategy (even if the strategy is unconscious). For any strategy you use, there is a correct counter-strategy. Winning players figure out what strategy their opponents are using … Continue reading