I’m a philosopher interested in the social and political realms and my research focuses primarily on the early Chinese tradition, especially Confucian and Legalist views on the relationship between morality and politics. Although I find these thinkers fascinating in their own right, I also try to show that the ideas of these early Chinese thinkers can illuminate many contemporary philosophical debates and contribute meaningfully to discussions in contemporary political philosophy and ethics.

I currently work as an associate professor in Colorado State University’s Department of Philosophy. I’m extremely lucky to have a great group of colleagues and to be in one of the most diverse programs around, with a deep and enduring commitment to a wide variety of areas of philosophy beyond the Western world. Before making this move, I spent quite a few years in Hong Kong, most recently at Hong Kong Baptist University and earlier at City University. I have also taught at Yonsei University’s Underwood International College in Seoul, South Korea and at Santa Clara University in California, and spent a sabbatical as a Visiting Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Some Recent Publications:

• The 3rd edition of Hackett’s Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy includes my translation of 10 chapters of the Han Feizi.
• The Dao Companion to China’s fa Traditions includes two of my chapters:
  • “Morality vs. Impartial Standards in the Shenzi Fragments.”
  • “Human Motivations in the fa Traditions: Visions From the Shenzi Fragments, Shangjunshu, and Han Feizi.”
•  Warfare Ethics in Comparative Perspective: China and the West includes my chapter, “Normativity of War and Peace: Thoughts from the Han Feizi“