标签：Peking University

The Philosopher’s Profession, or the Professional Philosopher?

Life & Notes2012.04.26
The Philosopher’s Profession, or the Professional Philosopher?
The occasion for writing this piece was yet another email discussion recently. Our class Party secretary forwarded a publicity push for the vote in the “2011 China University Student of the Year” selection, and our department’s 2009 undergraduate student, the “ticket-selling master” Pei Jiyang, had made the shortlist. But the comrade secretary, who has always been quite strong-minded, said that he himself did not support this publicity campaign, on the grounds that “(since Department Chair Wang Bo said) the philosophy department should cultivate philosophers,” and that “promoting him is more suitable for the Railway Institute than for Peking University’s philosophy department. If the Peking University philosophy department actively publicized that…
philosophy education Peking University autobiography
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2012年4月26日
Technical Intentionality and the Unconscious

AI & the Future of Technology2012.04.09
Technical Intentionality and the Unconscious
Yesterday, Senior Brother Han Lianqing gave a lecture at Beihang for the Beijing Philosophy of Technology Forum, “Intermediation and Constitution — The Meaning and Function of Artificial-Object Intentionality.” Teacher Wu sent us a text message in the morning, but lately my rhinitis has been acting up badly, and I stayed home unwilling to go out; as a result, I didn’t go. Although this rhinitis comes and goes, even though it is there every day, it still flares in bouts, and by that afternoon I was already feeling quite a bit better. In the evening I asked Wu Ningning for the recording and asked Senior Brother Han for the paper, and…
technology media phenomenology Peking University
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2012年4月9日
On “Gongqingyuan”

Life & Notes2012.04.01
On “Gongqingyuan”
《共青苑》 is putting out a special issue for its 20th anniversary, and this piece is specially written for it. When I was a freshman, Brother Wang Xin was the editor-in-chief of issue 39 of 《共青苑》, and I took part in doing some of the layout. When the handoff came to issue 40, it seemed that no suitable successor could be found for the moment, so I volunteered to become editor-in-chief. Apart from having some interest in layout work — now that I think about it, I already had a bit of a tech-nerd bent back then — I was also very happy to edit a magazine like this. Of course,…
philosophy everyday life Peking University Gongqingyuan
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2012年4月1日
“Intentional History” and the Aim of Historiography

Culture & Public Commentary2011.12.28
“Intentional History” and the Aim of Historiography
After returning from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where I attended the “Winter Solstice Conference,” I had the chance to meet teachers and students from Shanghai’s history-of-science circle, and I also took my senior and junior brothers around Shanghai for a bit. Although it took up a whole weekend that included the founding day of the PRC, it was still worthwhile. After I came back, Teacher Wu asked us to talk about our impressions. I said that, in my view, the biggest problem with the history of science in Shanghai is that it lacks philosophy. Of course, from a good perspective, this means that such history of science is relatively “pure”:…
philosophy history of science philosophy of science history
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2011年12月28日
Love of Wisdom and Patriotism

Life & Notes2011.12.17
Love of Wisdom and Patriotism
Yesterday the two Wu teachers had a gathering, and Old Wu [Bei Wu laoshi] got quite drunk and launched into a grand speech. Unlike when he is drunk in other settings, he said many things that he would only say in front of his disciples. Teacher Wu mentioned that, during his lifetime, he would certainly PUSH us; gold always shines in the end, but don’t count on Teacher Wu living too long—we have to make a name for ourselves within fifteen years… (Although Teacher Wu said drunkenness means speaking logically, in fact there were still some problems at the level of logic.) In the end, Teacher Wu came to the…
philosophy China scholarship freedom
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2011年12月17日
A Portal for the History of Science and Philosophy? A Library? — On the Future Fate of keshizhe.net

Site Matters2011.12.08
A Portal for the History of Science and Philosophy? A Library? — On the Future Fate of keshizhe.net
After wrapping up the Beijing History of Science, Technology, and Philosophy Student Forum, more than half a month had slipped by before I even realized it. The keshizhe.net I had worked so hard to put together died, with no suspense whatsoever. Although I had never had much confidence that it would ever become active in the first place, I still hadn’t expected it to die so quickly, so cleanly, and so decisively. Not only did almost no one post again after the meeting ended, but traffic also plunged rapidly, and in less than a week it was already lying on the bottom: The 5 or 6 visits per day at…
philosophy of science blog Peking University internet
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2011年12月8日
Introduction to the History, Philosophy, and Science Conference Handbook

Life & Notes2011.11.16
Introduction to the History, Philosophy, and Science Conference Handbook
This forum received strong support from students and teachers at various colleges and universities in the Beijing area, and the students took part with great enthusiasm. On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to express our gratitude to all the students and teachers who participated in our forum in one way or another! Because of everyone’s enthusiastic support, we ultimately received as many as 80 submissions. But in the end only a little over twenty could be presented at the conference, and the remaining articles could not be printed in full either (only abstracts would be included). If we have disappointed the enthusiasm of the students who submitted…
philosophy everyday life science history of science
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2011年11月16日
Politics Is Dispute—Starting from the Smoke-Free Campus

Culture & Public Commentary2011.11.03
Politics Is Dispute—Starting from the Smoke-Free Campus
I don’t know when the sign “This campus is a smoke-free school” was first hung at Peking University’s gate. I once even saw security guards seriously stop people who were coming in with cigarettes in their mouths. Today, in the midst of the poisonous haze (November 1), I noticed this sign again, so I’ll jot down a few thoughts while I’m at it~ I don’t smoke, and I don’t like other people smoking around me. But I do not support a “smoke-free campus.” In particular, a “smoke-free Peking University” is even worse. Because a smoking ban runs counter to freedom. Smoking is harmful, and it affects other people’s physical and…
China culture freedom commentary
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2011年11月3日
Beijing Region Graduate Student Forum on the History and Philosophy of Science Continues to Solicit Submissions~~

Life & Notes2011.10.15
Beijing Region Graduate Student Forum on the History and Philosophy of Science Continues to Solicit Submissions~~
The earlier published Call for Papers for the 2nd Beijing Graduate Student Academic Forum on History of Science, Technology, and Philosophy has already been revised in some respects. The revised portions are as follows: The forum will be held all day on Saturday, November 19, 2011, at the Sunshine Hall of Peking University’s Yingjie Exchange Center. In view of the fact that the chief aim of our forum is to strengthen mutual understanding among students from different specialties and directions within the field of history of science, technology, and philosophy, the conference will not have parallel sessions, but themes will be set at different time slots. This forum will award…
everyday life Peking University forum
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2011年10月15日
On the First Assignment for History of Science and Technology: Basic Features of Hellenistic Science Seen Through Ptolemaic Astronomy

Teaching & Courses2011.10.13
On the First Assignment for History of Science and Technology: Basic Features of Hellenistic Science Seen Through Ptolemaic Astronomy
The first assignment has basically been graded; let me summarize it. First, about the scores. This semester each assignment is worth only 10 points, and I was thinking of grading in 0.5-point increments. The highest score, 9.5, should be kept to a very small number—about one per class on average, and it can even be left unused; the teaching assistants can compare the best papers and then decide. Excellent papers get 9; good ones, 8 or 8.5; passing ones, 7 or 7.5; rather poor ones, around 6; abysmal ones, below 5; and plagiarism or failure to submit, 0. As for late submissions—strictly speaking, this course does not even have the…
course Peking University Greece astronomy
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2011年10月13日