标签：scholarship

There Are No Experts in Philosophy

Philosophy & Thought2009.01.01
There Are No Experts in Philosophy
I said very early on—sophomore year, maybe freshman year?—something like, “I don’t want to be an expert; I want only to be a master.” At first it was just something said privately among friends, but then it spread, and so I could only regard it as public speech. Of course I have always been able to stand behind that sentence. It is based on how I situated myself and on my understanding of philosophy. Over these years I have, I think, come to understand philosophy more deeply, and so now I can offer some more penetrating interpretation of what I said back then. First, we need to ask: what exactly…
philosophy culture scholarship experts
阅读全文

2009年1月1日
Draft Program for an Old-School Philosophy

Life & Notes2008.12.31
Draft Program for an Old-School Philosophy
If I were recruiting a crew, of course I would need to explain what sort of style and route this ship more or less has. When it comes to a program, it is actually a rather ambiguous thing: it is either too general or too specific. It can be condensed to a single character, “love” or “I”; to two characters, “freedom” or “seeking”; to three, “play games” or “possibility”; to four, “preserve sameness while seeking difference” or “strive for excellence”; to five, “know yourself” or “that old bear of a mother-in-law,” and so on. Any of these could be posted as a slogan at the entrance to Suixuan. Of course,…
philosophy scholarship autobiography discussion
阅读全文

2008年12月31日
How I Forced Myself to Write a Paper

History of Science & Scholarship2008.12.16
How I Forced Myself to Write a Paper
My way of writing papers is not in the least worth boasting about, and even less suitable for promotion as a model. Everyone who writes with their own blood must have a unique style and method of writing; others cannot imitate it, nor is there any need to imitate it. Of course, my own way of writing is still in the process of being explored, especially since I still have not been able to begin making use of the vast ocean of foreign-language materials; moreover, the purpose for which I write papers is bound to change. So far, the papers I have written have basically all been course assignments, while…
scholarship writing
阅读全文

2008年12月16日
The Philosopher’s “Manifest” and “Hidden”

Philosophy & Thought2008.10.10
The Philosopher’s “Manifest” and “Hidden”
In the comments received not long after the posting of “Pinned Post 2,” one mm mentioned that I was “a manifest type” rather than “an implicit type,” and so on. The specifics can be seen directly in that post, so I won’t repeat them here. Typical feminine-style comments are headache-inducing, because they are hard to deal with. As that mm said, “…more intuitive”: once a comment is made “from intuition,” then it becomes very hard to criticize. Only when a theory is built on “reasons” is it possible to inspect and criticize it, because “reasons” are public, whereas “intuition” is always private; I cannot criticize another person’s “intuition.” In addition,…
philosophy culture scholarship public sphere
阅读全文

2008年10月10日
A “Systematic Study” Plan for Philosophy of Science

History of Science & Scholarship2008.08.05
A “Systematic Study” Plan for Philosophy of Science
Recently, a number of friends have gradually found me through KKBBS and blogs and the like, hoping to consult me about the graduate entrance examination and about systematic methods for studying philosophy of science and technology. I’m sorry to say that, as a lazy student admitted by recommendation, I know virtually nothing about the graduate entrance examination; as for studying philosophy of science and technology, while I can hardly claim to have no experience at all, I am still, after all, only at the beginner stage—at most I can offer and share some beginner’s-beginner experience. But most of the people who come seeking help need guidance at the beginner level…
China science scholarship philosophy of science
阅读全文

2008年8月5日
What Is the Difference Between Philosophy and Natural History?

Philosophy & Thought2008.08.03
What Is the Difference Between Philosophy and Natural History?
Today I was asked a question that, at first hearing, seemed baffling: “What is the difference between philosophy and natural history?” The questioner felt that philosophy deals with everything, and natural history also touches on everything, so the two seemed more or less the same… My answer was: philosophy is directed toward problems, whereas natural history faces things. Or, to put it another way, philosophy asks after the ultimate meaning of concepts—such as “What, ultimately, is science?” “What, ultimately, is essence?”—these are the ways philosophy poses its questions. A typical way natural history poses a question is: point at a tree and ask, “What is this?”—“A poplar.” That sort of…
philosophy scholarship knowledge natural history
阅读全文

2008年8月3日
Writing Is a Kind of Outpouring

History of Science & Scholarship2008.07.18
Writing Is a Kind of Outpouring
I often hear people say “write, leak.” This is not merely a coincidence of shape; in fact, “write” and “leak” were originally the same character. Jinshan Ciba says: “写，置物也。——《说文》。俗字亦作泻。” Perhaps the evolution of “写” into the meaning of writing merely stems from its original sense of “to place,” but Chinese characters are, after all, endlessly subtle. Whether or not this is a coincidence, these two characters have in any case been deeply bound together. People say good prose is “flowed out,” and I know that my own articles really are flowed out. In this way, I suppose they at least satisfy the necessary but not sufficient condition for becoming good…
scholarship Chinese language writing
阅读全文

2008年7月18日
On BBS’s Suitability for Academic Exchange: Online Forums Should Replace Academic Conferences

History of Science & Scholarship2008.06.12
On BBS’s Suitability for Academic Exchange: Online Forums Should Replace Academic Conferences
http://hps.phil.pku.edu.cn/bbs/read.php?tid=409 Before reading this post, you may as well first look at: the 4th and 5th floor of http://hps.phil.pku.edu.cn/bbs/read.php?tid=408. I have never attended an academic conference, so my understanding of the matter is purely speculative. If there are any inaccuracies or improprieties, please do point them out. Many activities are epochal: in a certain era, such activities possess important practical significance; yet as the times change, the original practical purpose may no longer be needed, or may be replaced by other activities, while the activity itself may still continue in form, becoming a symbolic, ritual, ceremonial, or recreational activity. Perhaps “academic conferences” will also be like this? Are there…
scholarship internet discussion public sphere
阅读全文

2008年6月12日
Reading and Freedom (I)

Enlightenment & the Spirit of Freedom2008.06.03
Reading and Freedom (I)
In the essay “Reading as a Way of Thinking,” I said roughly this: if one merely sits there alone thinking desperately and turning things over and over, the effect is often counterproductive; one’s distress only sinks deeper and deeper, while the problem does not necessarily become any clearer. With the aid of reading, by contrast, one can both turn thinking into a pleasure and, with the help of books, carry out broader, clearer, and deeper reflection. However, not only is it not always a good thing to sit there daydreaming in silence, but burying one’s head in books is not always effective either. In particular, when someone reads with too…
philosophy scholarship freedom history
阅读全文

2008年6月3日
Choosing Peking University, Taking on Freedom

Enlightenment & the Spirit of Freedom2008.05.22
Choosing Peking University, Taking on Freedom
The original writing plan for “Yanyuan—The Four Schools” had stalled for a long time because I shut myself away and hid from the blog. Now that graduation is practically upon me, it’s time to restart this task. Just then the student union was organizing a “My Yanyuan Memories — A Commencement Essay Collection for Peking University’s Class of 2008 Excellent Graduates,” asking each department to nominate writers. Although I do not like taking part in essay contests, especially those initiated by official bodies, I was going to write something anyway. So I might as well take part. There was also a call for submissions from 《Communist Youth Garden》, and perhaps…
philosophy scholarship freedom education
阅读全文

2008年5月22日