David B. Wong
Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Trinity College Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
David Wong is the Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Professor of Philosophy. Before he came to Duke, he was the Harry Austryn Wolfson Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University and the John M. Findlay Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Boston University.
The main subjects of his research include 1) the nature and extent of moral differences and similarities across and within societies and how these differences and similarities bear on questions about the objectivity and universality of morality; 2) the attempt to understand morality naturalistically as arising from the attempt of human beings to structure their cooperation and to convey to each other what kinds of lives they have found to be worth living; 3) the nature of conflicts between basic moral values and how these give rise to moral differences across and within societies; 4) how we attempt to deal with such conflicts in moral deliberation; 5) the relevance of comparative philosophy, especially Chinese-Western (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism) comparative philosophy, to the above subjects; 6) Whether our reasons to feel and act are based solely on what we already desire or whether reasons transcend what we desire and are used to critically evaluate and shape our desires; 7) the extent to which a person's recognizing that she has reasons to feel and act in certain ways can enter into the constitution of her emotions and change those emotions.
His books include Moral Relativity (University of California Press, 1984) and Natural Moralities (Oxford University Press, 2006). A book of critical essays on Natural Moralities is Moral Relativism and Chinese Philosophy: David Wong and his Critics, ed. by Yang Xiao and Yong Huang, SUNY Press, 2014), with responses by Wong to the essays. Wong has co-edited with Kwong-loi Shun Confucian Ethics: a Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy and Community (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Articles and chapters include "Coping with Moral Conflict and Ambiguity," (Ethics, 1992), "Xunzi on Moral Motivation" (Chinese Language, Thought, and Culture: Nivison and his Critics, 1996), "Reasons and Analogical Reasoning in Mencius" (Essays on the Moral Philosophy of Mengzi, 2002), "Relational and Autonomous Selves" (Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2004), "Zhuangzi and the Obsession with Being Right" (History of Philosophy Quarterly, 2004), “A Relational Approach to Environmental Ethics” (with Marion Hourdequin, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2005),"Moral Reasons: Internal and External," (Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 2006), "Emotion and the Cognition of Reasons in Moral Motivation" (Philosophical Issues 2009), "Complexity and Simplicity in Ancient Greek and Chinese Thought" (in How should we live? Comparing Ethics in Ancient China and Greco-Roman Antquity, ed. Dennis Schilling and Richard King 2011), "How Are Moral Conversions Possible?" (in In Search of Goodness, ed. Ruth Grant 2011), "Sustaining Cultures in the Face of Globalization" (with Nicole Hassoun, Culture and Dialogue, 2013), "On Learning What Happiness Is" Philosophical Topics, 2013, actually appearing in 2015), "Integrating Philosophy with Anthropology in an Approach to Morality" (Anthropological Theory, 2014), "The Different Faces of Love in a Good Life" (in Moral Cultivation and Confucian Character: Engaging Joel J. Kupperman, ed. Chengyang Li and Peimin Ni 2014), "Early Confucian Philosophy and the Development of Compassion" (Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 2015), "Growing Virtue: The Theory and Science of Developing Compassion from a Mencian Perspective" (in The Philosophical Challenge from China, ed. Brian Bruya 2015). He has written articles on moral relativism for A Companion to Ethics, The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The Encyclopedia of Ethics, and Dictionnaire de philosophie morale, and articles on Comparative Philosophy, Chinese and Western" and "Chinese Ethics" for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. He was interviewed on the subjects of cultural and moral relativism for the Public Television Series, "The Examined Life." He has written on comparative ethics for The Encyclopedia of Ethics and on comparative philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy.
Wong is co-director with Owen Flanagan of the Center for Comparative Philosophy at Duke. He is currently a member-at-large of the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association.
The main subjects of his research include 1) the nature and extent of moral differences and similarities across and within societies and how these differences and similarities bear on questions about the objectivity and universality of morality; 2) the attempt to understand morality naturalistically as arising from the attempt of human beings to structure their cooperation and to convey to each other what kinds of lives they have found to be worth living; 3) the nature of conflicts between basic moral values and how these give rise to moral differences across and within societies; 4) how we attempt to deal with such conflicts in moral deliberation; 5) the relevance of comparative philosophy, especially Chinese-Western (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism) comparative philosophy, to the above subjects; 6) Whether our reasons to feel and act are based solely on what we already desire or whether reasons transcend what we desire and are used to critically evaluate and shape our desires; 7) the extent to which a person's recognizing that she has reasons to feel and act in certain ways can enter into the constitution of her emotions and change those emotions.
His books include Moral Relativity (University of California Press, 1984) and Natural Moralities (Oxford University Press, 2006). A book of critical essays on Natural Moralities is Moral Relativism and Chinese Philosophy: David Wong and his Critics, ed. by Yang Xiao and Yong Huang, SUNY Press, 2014), with responses by Wong to the essays. Wong has co-edited with Kwong-loi Shun Confucian Ethics: a Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy and Community (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Articles and chapters include "Coping with Moral Conflict and Ambiguity," (Ethics, 1992), "Xunzi on Moral Motivation" (Chinese Language, Thought, and Culture: Nivison and his Critics, 1996), "Reasons and Analogical Reasoning in Mencius" (Essays on the Moral Philosophy of Mengzi, 2002), "Relational and Autonomous Selves" (Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2004), "Zhuangzi and the Obsession with Being Right" (History of Philosophy Quarterly, 2004), “A Relational Approach to Environmental Ethics” (with Marion Hourdequin, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 2005),"Moral Reasons: Internal and External," (Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 2006), "Emotion and the Cognition of Reasons in Moral Motivation" (Philosophical Issues 2009), "Complexity and Simplicity in Ancient Greek and Chinese Thought" (in How should we live? Comparing Ethics in Ancient China and Greco-Roman Antquity, ed. Dennis Schilling and Richard King 2011), "How Are Moral Conversions Possible?" (in In Search of Goodness, ed. Ruth Grant 2011), "Sustaining Cultures in the Face of Globalization" (with Nicole Hassoun, Culture and Dialogue, 2013), "On Learning What Happiness Is" Philosophical Topics, 2013, actually appearing in 2015), "Integrating Philosophy with Anthropology in an Approach to Morality" (Anthropological Theory, 2014), "The Different Faces of Love in a Good Life" (in Moral Cultivation and Confucian Character: Engaging Joel J. Kupperman, ed. Chengyang Li and Peimin Ni 2014), "Early Confucian Philosophy and the Development of Compassion" (Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy, 2015), "Growing Virtue: The Theory and Science of Developing Compassion from a Mencian Perspective" (in The Philosophical Challenge from China, ed. Brian Bruya 2015). He has written articles on moral relativism for A Companion to Ethics, The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The Encyclopedia of Ethics, and Dictionnaire de philosophie morale, and articles on Comparative Philosophy, Chinese and Western" and "Chinese Ethics" for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. He was interviewed on the subjects of cultural and moral relativism for the Public Television Series, "The Examined Life." He has written on comparative ethics for The Encyclopedia of Ethics and on comparative philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy.
Wong is co-director with Owen Flanagan of the Center for Comparative Philosophy at Duke. He is currently a member-at-large of the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Trinity College Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2007
- Professor of Philosophy, Philosophy, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2000
- Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke Science & Society, Initiatives 2014
Contact Information
- 211 W Duke Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
- Duke Box 90743, Durham, NC 27708-0743
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d.wong@duke.edu
(919) 660-3046
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Princeton University 1977
- B.A., Macalester College 1971
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Philosophy, Philosophy, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2014 - 2017
- Chair, Philosophy, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2004 - 2007
- Recognition
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In the News
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JAN 13, 2020 Graduate School -
JUL 23, 2015 The New York Times -
JUL 23, 2015 The New York Times
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Awards & Honors
- Dean's Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Duke University Graduate School. March 25, 2020
- Best Essay for 2015 in Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy. Dao: A Journal of Comparative . 2016
- Fellow. Berggruen Institute of Philosophy and Culture, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. 2015
- Fellow. National Humanities Center. 2007
- Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars. National Endowment for the Humanities. 1992
- ACLS Fellows (ACLS/SSRC/NEH International and Area Studies Fellowships and ACLS/New York Public Library Fellowships). American Council of Learned Societies. 1986
- Expertise
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Subject Headings
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Global Scholarship
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Research
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- Research
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External Relationships
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Selected Publications
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Books
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Wong, D. B. Natural Moralities: A Defense of Pluralistic Relativism, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1093/0195305396.001.0001.Full Text
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Shun, K. L., and D. B. Wong. Confucian ethics: A comparative study of self, autonomy, and community. Vol. 9780521792172, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511606960.Full Text
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Wong, D. Moral Relativity. University of California Press, 1984.
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Academic Articles
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Hourdequin, M., and D. B. Wong. “A relational approach to environmental ethics.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 32, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-03201002.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Constructive skepticism and being a mirror in the Zhuangzi.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 44, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2021): 53–70. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-0440102007.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Relational and autonomous selves.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 31, no. 4 (January 1, 2021): 419–32. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-03104001.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Identifying with nature in early Daoism.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 36, no. 4 (January 1, 2021): 568–84. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-03604008.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Universalism versus love with distinctions: An ancient debate revived.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 16, no. 3 (January 1, 2021): 251–72. https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-0160304002.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Soup, harmony, and disagreement.” Journal of the American Philosophical Association 6, no. 2 (June 1, 2020): 139–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/apa.2018.46.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Wong, David. “Commentary on "Is it Good to Cooperate?".” Current Anthropology 60, no. 1 (2019): 62–63.
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Wong, David. “Review of Michael Ing, The Vulernability of Integrity.” Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 18 (2019): 641–46.
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Wong, D. B. “Responses to Snow, Miller, and Seok.” Dao 16, no. 4 (November 1, 2017): 577–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-017-9579-1.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “"Making an Effort to Understand".” The Ultimate Guide From Philosophy Now, no. One: Ethics (November 2017).
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Wong, D. B. “The Excitement of Crossing Boundaries.” Journal of World Philosophies 2, no. Summer 2017 (June 2017): 149–55.Link to Item
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Wong, D. B. “Constructive Skepticism and Being a Mirror in the Zhuangzi.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 44, no. 1–2 (March 1, 2017): 53–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6253.12320.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Institutional structures and idealism of character.” Philosophy East and West 67, no. 1 (January 1, 2017): 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2017.0003.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Wong, D. B. “Responses to Commentators.” Dao 14, no. 2 (June 26, 2015): 225–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-015-9439-9.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Early Confucian Philosophy and the Development of Compassion.” Dao 14, no. 2 (June 26, 2015): 157–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-015-9438-x.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Wong, D. B. “Conserving Nature; Preserving Identity.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 42, no. 1–2 (June 2015): 176–96.
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Hassoun, N. J., and D. B. Wong. “Conserving Nature; Preserving Identity.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 42, no. 1–2 (March 1, 2015): 176–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6253.12189.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Integrating philosophy with anthropology in an approach to morality.” Anthropological Theory 14, no. 3 (January 1, 2014): 336–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463499614534554.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “On learning what happiness is.” Philosophical Topics 41, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 81–101. https://doi.org/10.5840/philtopics20134114.Full Text Open Access Copy
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Hassoun, Nicole, and David Wong. “Sustaining Cultures in the Face of Globalization.” Culture and Dialogue 2, no. 2 (2012): 73–98.
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Wong, D. “Chinese translation of ’Reasons and Analogical Reasoning in the Mengzi’ previously published in 2002.” Edited by Liu Xiaogan. The Journal of Chinese Philosophy and Culture 9 (2012): 1–33.
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Wong, D. “Making an Effort to Understand.” Philosophy Now, Special Issue on the New Amorality, no. 82 (2011): 24–27.
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Wong, D. B. “Identifying with nature in early Daoism.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 36, no. 4 (December 1, 2009): 568–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6253.2009.01542.x.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Emotion and the Cognition of Reasons in Moral Motivation.” Philosophical Issues (Metaethics Issue of Nous) 19 (October 2009): 343–67.
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Wong, D. “Review of François Jullien, Vital Nourishment: Departing from Happiness.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, April 2008.
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Wong, D. B. “Constructing normative objectivity in ethics.” Social Philosophy and Policy 25, no. 1 (January 1, 2008): 237–66. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265052508080096.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Moral Reasons: Internal and External.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 72 (2006), no. 3 (2007): 536–58.
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Wong, D. “Attachment and Detachment in Daoism, Buddhism, and Stoicism.” Dao V, no. 2 (June 2006): 207–19.
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Wong, David B. “Moral reasons: Internal and external.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 72, no. 3 (2006): 536–58.Link to Item
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Hourdequin, M., and D. B. Wong. “A relational approach to environmental ethics.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 32, no. 1 (December 1, 2005): 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6253.2005.00172.x.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Zhuangzi and the Obsession with Being Right.” History of Philosophy Quarterly 22, no. 2 (March 2005): 91–107.
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Wong, D. “Relational and Autonomous Selves.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 31, no. 4 (December 2004): 419–32.
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Wong, D. “Crossing Cultures in Moral Psychology.” Philosophy Today 3 (2002): 7–10.
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Wong, D. “Review of Integrity and Moral Relativism by Samuel Fleischacker.” Ethics 104 (1994): 882–83.
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Wong, D. “On Care and Justice in the Family.” Contemporary Philosophy 15 (1993): 21–24.
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Wong, D. “Coping with Moral Conflict and Ambiguity.” Ethics 102 (1992): 763–84.
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Wong, D. B. “Commentary on Sayre-Mccord's "being a realist about relativism".” Philosophical Studies 61, no. 1–2 (February 1, 1991): 177–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385840.Full Text
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Wong, D. “"Is There a Distinction between Reason and Emotion in Mencius?" and a reply to a commentary by Craig Ihara.” Philosophy East and West 41 (1991): 31–58.
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Wong, D. “A Relativist Alternative to Anti-Realism.” Journal of Philosophy 87 (1990): 617–18.
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WONG, D. B. “UNIVERSALISM VERSUS LOVE WITH DISTINCTIONS: AN ANCIENT DEBATE REVIVED.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 16, no. 3–4 (January 1, 1989): 251–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6253.1989.tb00437.x.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Universalism versus Love with Distinctions: An Ancient Debate Revived.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 16 (1989): 252–72.
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Wong, D. “Review essay on Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy by Bernard Williams.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 49 (1989): 721–32.
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Wong, D. “ON MORAL REALISM WITHOUT FOUNDATIONS.” The Southern Journal of Philosophy 24, no. 1 S (January 1, 1986): 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-6962.1986.tb01599.x.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Taoism and the Problem of Equal Respect.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 11 (1984): 165–83.
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Wong, D. “Cartesian Deduction.” Philosophy Research Archives 8 (1982): 1–19.
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Wong, D. “Leibniz’s Theory of Relations.” Philosophical Review 89 (1980): 241–56.
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Book Sections
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Wong, D. B. “Constructive Skepticism in the Zhuangzi.” In Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy, 16:639–60, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92331-0_27.Full Text
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Wong, David. “Why Forgiveness is So Elusive.” In The Natural Method: Essays on Mind, Ethics, and Self in Honor of Owen Flanagan, edited by Eddy Nahmias, Thomas Polger, and Wenqing Zhao, 193–225. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2020.
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Wong, David. “Comparative Ethics: Chinese and Western.” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, 2020.Link to Item
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Wong, David. “Comparative Ethics: Chinese and Western Fall 2020 Edition.” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, 2020.
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Wong, David. “Moral Ambivalence.” In The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism, edited by Martin Kusch. Routledge, 2019.
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Wong, David. “Hiding the World in the World: A Case for Cosmopolitanism Based in the Zhuangzi.” In Philosophies of Place: An Intercultural Conversation, edited by Peter Herschock and Roger T. Ames, 15–33. University of Hawai’i Press, 2019.
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Wong, D. B. “Dialogue in the Work of Michael Krausz.” In Interpretation, Relativism, and Identity: Essays on the Philosophy of Michael Krausz, edited by Christine M. Koggel and Andreea Deciu Ritivoi, 67–74. Lexington Books, 2018.
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Wong, D. B. “Chinese Ethics (substantive revision).” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward Zalta, 2018.Link to Item
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Wong, D. B. “Relativism and pluralism in moral epistemology.” In The Routledge Handbook of Moral Epistemology, 316–28, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315719696-17.Full Text
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Wong, David. “Confucian and Daoist Traditions on Love.” In Routledge Handbook of Love in Philosophy, edited by Adrienne Martin. Routledge, 2018.
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Wong, D. B. “"Moral Sentimentalism in Early Confucian Thought".” In Ethical Sentimentalism New Perspectives, edited by R. Debes and K. Stueber, 230–49. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
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Wong, D. B. “DIgnity in Confucian and Buddhist Thought.” In Dignity A History, edited by R. Debes. Oxford University Press, 2017.
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Wong, D. B. “Reflection dignity in confucian and Buddhist thought,” 67–72, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199385997.003.0004.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Xunzi's Metaethics.” In Dao Companion to the Philosophy of Xunzi, edited by E. L. Hutton, 7:139–64. Springer, 2016.
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Flanagan, O., H. Sarkissian, and D. Wong. “Naturalizing Ethics.” In The Blackwell Companion to Naturalism, 16–33, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118657775.ch2.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Growing Virtue: The Theory and Science of Developing Compassion from a Mencian Perspective.” In The Philosophical Challenge from China, edited by B. Bruya. MIT Press, 2015.
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Wong, D. B. “Cultivating the Self in Concert with Others.” In Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy, 4:171–97, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7113-0_10.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Response to Blum, Response to Geisz and Sadler, Response to Hansen, Response to Gowans, Response to Bloomfield and Massey, Response to Huang.” In Moral Relativism and Chinese Philosophy: David Wong and His Critics, edited by Yang Xiao and Yong Huang. SUNY Press, 2014.
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Wong, D. “The Different Faces of Love in a Good Life.” In Moral Cultivation and Confucian Character: Engaging Joel J. Kupperman. SUNY Press, 2014.
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Wong, D. “Mencius.” In International Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Hugh LaFollette. Blackwell, 2013.
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Wong, D. “Morality, Definition of.” In International Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Hugh LaFollette. Blackwell, 2013.
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Wong, D. “Relativism, Moral.” In International Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Hugh LaFollette. Blackwell, 2013.
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Wong, D. “Reconciling the Tension between Similarity and Difference in Critical Hermeneutics.” In The Agon of Interpretations: Essays Toward a Critical Intercultural Hermeneutics, edited by Ming Xie. University of Toronto Press, 2012.
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Wong, D. “Agreement / Disagreement.” In Philosophy and Politics. Methods, Tools, Topics, edited by Antonella Besussi. Ashgate, 2012.
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Wong, D. “Complexity and Simplicity in Ancient Greek and Chinese Thought.” In How Should We Live? Comparing Ethics in Ancient China and Greco-Roman Antquity, edited by D. Schilling and R. King, 259–77. DeGruyter, 2011.
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Wong, D. “Agon and He: Contest and Harmony.” In Ethics in Early China, edited by Chris Fraser, Dan Robins, and Timothy O. Leary, 163–80. Hong Kong University Press, 2011.
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Wong, D. B. “Complexity and simplicity in aristotle and early daoist thought.” In How Should One Live?: Comparing Ethics in Ancient China and Greco-Roman Antiquity, 259–77, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110252897.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Confucian Political Philosophy.” In Oxford Handbook of the History of Political Philosophy, edited by George Klosko, 771–88. Oxford University Press, 2011.
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Wong, D. B. “Relativist Explanations of Interpersonal and Group Disagreement.” In A Companion to Relativism, 411–29, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444392494.ch21.Full Text
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Wong, D. “How Are Moral Conversions Possible?” In In Search of Goodness, edited by Ruth Grant, 41–70. University of Chicago Press, 2011.
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Wong, D. “Pluralism and Ambivalence.” In Relativism: A Contemporary Anthology, edited by Michael Krausz, 254–67. Columbia University Press, 2010.
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Wong, D., and trans Xiamei Yang. “Translation of "Zhuangzi and the Obsession with Being Right" into Chinese.” In Chinese Philosophy in the English Speaking World, edited by Xinyan Jiang. Renmin University Press, 2010.
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Wong, D. “Cultural Pluralism and Moral Identity.” In Personality, Identity, and Character: Explorations in Moral Psychology, edited by Darcia Narvaez and Dan Lapsley, 79–105. Cambridge University Press, 2009.
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Wong, D. “Chinese Ethics.” edited by Edward N. Zalta, 2008.
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Wong, D., and trans Jan Rovensky. “Translation into Czech of "Rights and Community in Confucianism," originally published in Confucian Ethics: a Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy and Community.” In An Intercultural Dialogue on Human Rights: The Western, Islamic and Confucian Perspectives, edited by Marek Hrubec. Publishing House Filosofia, 2008.
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Wong, D., and trans Wen Haimin. “Translation into Chinese of "Comparative Philosophy: Chinese and Western" originally in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” In Philosophy, edited by Jiyuan Yu. Renmin University Press, 2008.
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Wong, D., and trans Wen Haimin. “Translation into Chinese of "Comparative Philosophy: Chinese and Western" originally in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” In Philosophy, edited by Jiyuan Yu. Renmin University Press, 2008.
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Flanagan, O., H. Sarkissian, and D. Wong. “Naturalizing Ethics.” In Moral Psychology: V.1, The Evolution of Morality: Adaptations and Innateness, edited by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, 1:1–26. MIT Press, 2007.
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Flanagan, O., H. Sarkissian, and D. Wong. “"What is the Nature of Morality?" A Response to Casebeer, Railton, and Ruse.” edited by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, 1:45–52. MIT Press, 2007.
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Wong, D. “If We Are Not by Ourselves, If We Are Not Strangers.” In Polishing the Chinese Mirror: Essays in Honor of Henry Rosemont, Jr., edited by Ronnie Littlejohn and Marthe Chandler, 331–49. Association of Chinese Philosophers in America, 2007.
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Wong, D. “Evil and the Morality of Conviction.” In Naming Evil Judging Evil, edited by Ruth Grant. University of Chicago Press, 2006.
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Wong, D. “Where Charity Begins.” In Davidson’s Philosophy and Chinese Philosophy: Constructive Engagement, edited by Bo Mou. Brill Academic Publishers, 2006.
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Wong, D. “Rights and Community in Confucianism.” In Confucian Ethics: A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy and Community, edited by Kwong-loi Shun and David B. Wong. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
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Shun, K. L., and D. B. Wong. “Introduction.” In Confucian Ethics: A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy, and Community, 9780521792172:1–8, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511606960.001.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Dwelling in Humanity or Free and Easy Wandering?” In Technology and Cultural Values: On the Edge of the Third Millenium, edited by Peter D. Hershock, Marietta Stepaniants, and Roger T. Ames, 400–415. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2003.
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Wong, D. “Cultural Relativism.” In Online Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, edited by Robert Charles Elliot for the Ethics and Justice division. Oxford, UK: Eolss Publishers, 2003.
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Wong, D. “Reasons and Analogical Reasoning in Mengzi.” In Essays on the Moral Philosophy of Mengzi, 187–220. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2002.
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Wong, D. “Entry on Cultural Relativism.” In Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, 2002.
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Wong, D. “Mo Tzu.” In Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy, edited by Antonio Cua, 453–61. New York: Routledge, 2002.
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Wong, D. ““Comparative Philosophy”.” In Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy, edited by Antonio Cua, 51–58. New York: Routledge, 2002.
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Wong, D. “Reasons and Analogical Reasoning in Mengzi.” In Essays on the Moral Philosophy of Mengzi, edited by Xiusheng Liu and Philip J. Ivanhoe. Hackett Publishing Company, 2002.
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Wong, D. ““Comparative Philosophy: Chinese and Western”.” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta. Stanford University, 2001.
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Wong, D. ““Moral Relativism” revised version.” In Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Lawrence Becker, 1164–68. Routledge, 2001.
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Wong, D. “"Comparative Ethics" and "Mo Tzu".” In Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Lawrence Becker. Routledge, 2001.
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Wong, D. “Fragmentation in Civil Society and the Good.” In Civility, edited by Leroy Rouner. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2000.
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Wong, D. “"Comparative Ethics," "Mo Tzu," and "Moral Relativism".” In Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Lawrence Becker, 185–859. New York & London: Garland Press, 1992.
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Wong, D. B. “Chinese Ethics (substantive revision of entry first published in 2008).” In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward Zalta, n.d.Link to Item
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Wong, D. “Cultivating the Self with Others.” In Dao Companion to the Analects, edited by Amy Oberding, 171–98. Blackwell, n.d.
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Wong, D. “Rights and Community in Confucianism.” In Confucian Ethics: A Comparative Study of Self, Autonomy and Community, edited by Kwong-loi Shun and David B. Wong, 31–48. New York: Cambridge University Press, n.d.
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Wong, D. “Confucian Perspectives on Pluralism, Gender Relations, and the Family.” In The Politics of Affective Relations: East Asia and Beyond, edited by Hahm Chaihark, Hahm Chaibong, and Daniel Bell. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, n.d.
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Wong, David. “Morality, Definition of.” In International Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Hugh Lafolette. Wiley, n.d.
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Book Reviews
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Wong, David B. “Foundations for Moral Relativism, by J. David Velleman.” Mind. Oxford University Press (OUP), January 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzv166.Full Text
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Wong, D. B. “Review of Families of Virtue: Confucian and Western Views of Childhood Development by Erin M. Cline.” Notre Dame Philosophical Review, November 2015.
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Wong, David B. “Kupperman, Joel J., Six Myths about the Good Life: Thinking about What Has Value.” Dao. Springer Science and Business Media LLC, March 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11712-010-9196-8.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Review of Reasonable Disagreement by Christopher McMahon.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. University of Notre Dame Press, March 2010.
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Wong, D. “Review of A Chinese Ethics for the New Century: The Ch’ien Mu Lectures in History and Culture, and Other Essays on Science and Confucian Ethics by Donald J. Munro.” Journal of Chinese Studies, 2006.
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Wong, D. “Review of Fieldwork in Familiar Places by Michele Moody-Adams.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 2002.
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Wong, David B., and Michele M. Moody-Adams. “Fieldwork in Familiar Places: Morality, Culture, & Philosophy.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. JSTOR, November 2001. https://doi.org/10.2307/3071168.Full Text
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Wong, D. “Review of Richard Garner’s Beyond Morality.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 1997.
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Wong, D. “Review of Robert Kane’s Beyond the Moral Maze: Searching for Absolute Values in a Pluralistic World.” Philosophical Quarterly, 1997.
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Wong, D. “Review of The Conception of Value by Paul Grice.” Philosophical Books, 1993.
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Wong, D. “Review of Living Morally: A Psychology of Moral Character by Lawrence Thomas.” Philosophical Review, 1992.
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Wong, D. “Review of Understanding the Chinese Mind: the Philosophical Roots ed. by Robert Allinson.” Philosophy East and West, 1992.
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Wong, D. “Review of Quandaries and Virtues: Against Reductivism in Ethics by Edmund Pincoffs.” Nous, 1991.
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Wong, D. “"MacIntyre and the Commensurability of Traditions," (critical notice of Whose Justice? Which Rationality? by Alasdair MacIntyre.” Philosophical Books, 1990.
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Wong, David. “review of Michael Ing, The Vulnerability of Integrity.” Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy. Springer (part of Springer Nature), n.d.
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- Teaching & Mentoring
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Recent Courses
- PHIL 89S: First-Year Seminar 2023
- PHIL 216: Problems in Ethical Theory 2023
- PHIL 293: Research Independent Study 2023
- PHIL 791: Fall Grad Directed Reading, Spring Grad Directed Reading 2023
- CLST 210: The Good Life: Religion, Philosophy, and Life’s Ultimate Concerns 2022
- ETHICS 210: The Good Life: Religion, Philosophy, and Life’s Ultimate Concerns 2022
- PHIL 214: The Good Life: Religion, Philosophy, and Life’s Ultimate Concerns 2022
- PHIL 590S: Special Fields of Philosophy Seminar (Topics) 2022
- PHIL 703S: Proseminar in Ethics 2022
- PHIL 791: Fall Grad Directed Reading, Spring Grad Directed Reading 2022
- PUBPOL 229: The Good Life: Religion, Philosophy, and Life’s Ultimate Concerns 2022
- RELIGION 210: The Good Life: Religion, Philosophy, and Life’s Ultimate Concerns 2022
- PHIL 89S: First-Year Seminar 2021
- PHIL 216: Problems in Ethical Theory 2021
- PHIL 293: Research Independent Study 2021
- PHIL 791: Fall Grad Directed Reading, Spring Grad Directed Reading 2021
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Advising & Mentoring
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Undergraduate advising of majors
Advising to Graduate students
Supervision of PhD students writing dissertations
Membership on dissertation committees of PhD students
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Undergraduate advising of majors
- Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
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Presentations & Appearances
- Moral Relativism and Chinese Philosophy. Sharing Philosophy. October 26, 2019 2019
- Constructive Skepticism in the Zhuangzi: “Doing Philosophy across Traditions: Its Hazards and Sought-After Rewards. Approaches to Classical Chinese Texts. University of Pennsylvania. October 5, 2019 2019
- Harmony, Soup, and Disagreement. St. Louis University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. St. Louis University, Philosophy Department. March 29, 2019 2019
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. Semrad Lecture. Creighton University. October 9, 2018 2018
- The Body-Politic and Soup in Ancient Chinese Thought. Radboud University Nijmegen / Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. May 29, 2018 - May 29, 2018 2018
- Confucian and Daoist Approaches to Political Crisis. Workshop: Political Crises and Intellectuals. Academy of Finland / University of Jyväskylä. May 22, 2018 - May 22, 2018 2018
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. Department of Philosophy Colloquium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. March 23, 2018 2018
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. 2018 Austin J. Fagothey Philosophy Conference on Values: East and West. Santa Clara University. February 10, 2018 2018
- Why Forgiveness is so Elusive. The Natural Method—Ethics, Mind, & Self” at Duke University (In Honor of Owen Flanagan). September 30, 2017 2017
- The Great Good of Relationship, and Its Troubles. Workshop on the Ends of Human Life in Ancient Indian and Chinese Traditions . Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Berggruen Institute. August 8, 2017 2017
- "Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement". Third Annual CR Parekh Lecture. Institute of Indian Thought, Center for the Study of Developing Societies. August 4, 2017 2017
- Interview of David Wong by Clifford Sossis on the website "What's It Like to be a Philosopher?". June 22, 2017 2017
- Interview of David Wong by Richard Marshall: The Pluralist. 3am Magazine. June 3, 2017 2017
- Early Chinese Philosophy on Correcting One’s Mistakes in Feeling and Thinking: Compassion and Intuition. 9th Annual California Cognitive Science Conference: Mistakes The Imperfect Mind. Cognitive Science Student Association. April 29, 2017 2017
- Rediscovering Moral Beauty. Given at a conference "Moral Sentimentalism and Its Foundations". California State University at Fullerton, Philosophy Department and Philosophy Club. March 24, 2017 2017
- Seminar on diversifying the philosophy curriculum to philosophy faculty at Muhlenberg College. Part of being a Mellon Scholar-in-Residence at Muhlenberg College. Muhlenberg College/Mellon Foundation. March 17, 2017 2017
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. Public lecture given as part of being Mellon Scholar-in-Residence at Muhlenberg College. Muhlenberg College/Mellon Foundation. March 16, 2017 2017
- Precis and response to commentators on Dao Best Essay "Early Confucian Philosophy and the Development of Compassion". 2017 Eastern Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. American Philosophical Association. January 5, 2017 2017
- Comment on David Palumbo-Liu "Where Do We Stand When We Name the Other?". Center for Philosophy, Arts, Literature At Duke University. 2017 - September 8, 2017 2017
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. Philosophy colloquium. Philosophy Department, University of Ottawa. October 14, 2016 2016
- Interview with David B. Wong on moral relativism. Why Radio Show. Public radio station PQED and Institute for Philosophy and Public Life. October 9, 2016 2016
- Soup, Harmony, and Disagreement. Berggruen Workshop on Harmony and Freedom. Berggruen Institute for Culture and Philosophy, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. March 13, 2016 2016
- Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy. Philosophy Colloquium, University of Oklahoma. Philosophy Department, University of Oklahoma, Norman. March 11, 2016 2016
- "Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy". Keynote Address at 2016 Puget Sound Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. University of Puget Sound, Philosophy Department. February 13, 2016 2016
- "Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy. Philosophy Colloquium, University of San Francisco. Philosophy Department, University of San Francisco. December 7, 2015 2015
- Dialogue in the Work of Michael Krausz. Symposium on the Work of Michael Krausz. Bryn Mawr College. November 6, 2015 2015
- Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy. Philosophy Colloquium. Philosophy Department, Union College. November 4, 2015 2015
- Perspectives on Human Personhood and the Self from the Zhuangzi. Workshop on The Self and the Meaning of Life. Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Center and Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. September 18, 2015 2015
- Feeling, Reflection, and Reasoning in the Mencius. Conference: "Modes of Reasoning: East and West". University of Bonn, Germany. July 10, 2015 2015
- Institutional Structures and Idealism of Character. Symposium on Joseph Chan's Confucian Perfectionism. Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong. May 15, 2015 2015
- Rediscovering Moral Beauty. Colloquium series University of Hong Kong Department of Politics and Public Administration. University of Hong Kong. May 14, 2015 2015
- The Authority of Moral Beauty. "Meaning in Life" Lecture Series. Agnes Scott College. April 9, 2015 2015
- Keynote Address: Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy . 2015 Meetings of the South Carolina Philosophical Society. March 27, 2015 2015
- Seminar discussion of my article "Integrating Philosophy with Anthropology in an Approach to Morality," led by Steven Lukes and Gabi Abend . NYU Sociology Department. NYU. March 9, 2015 2015
- Relativism and Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy. Philosophy colloquium. Philosophy Department, Brandeis University. March 6, 2015 2015
- Seminar discussion of my article "Relativist Explanations of Interpersonal and Group Disagreement", February 24, 2015 . Mind and Language seminar conducted by Paul Horwich and Crispin Wright. Philosophy Department, New York University. February 24, 2015 2015
- A Case for Relativism Based on Ambivalence between Relationship and Autonomy . Conference on the Coherence of Relativism. University of Bonn, Germany. December 14, 2014 2014
- Reflection and Emotion in Mencius and Xunzi. Conference: "Moral Sentimentalism and the Foundations of Morality" . College of the Holy Cross. November 14, 2014 2014
- Reflection and Emotion in Mencius and Xunzi. International Conference for the Society of Political Thought: Comparative Ancient and Medieval Political Thought. Yale University. May 1, 2014 2014
- Keynote Address: On Learning What Happiness Is . Minnesota Undergraduate Philosophy Society Meetings 2014. Macalester College. April 26, 2014 2014
- On Valuing Disagreement. Philosophy Colloquia Series. Philosophy Department, Macalester College. April 24, 2014 2014
- The Authority of Moral Beauty in Xunzi. Conference on Xunzi. Philosophy Department, Rutgers University. April 11, 2014 2014
- Moral Cultivation. Workshop convened to discuss manuscript on Neo-Confucianism by Steve Angle and Justin Tiwald. San Francisco State University and Wesleyan University. March 29, 2014 2014
- On Valuing Moral Disagreement. Colloquium series University of Hong Kong Department of Politics and Public Administration. Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto. January 20, 2014 2014
- Keynote Address: On Learning What Happiness Is. 18th International Conference of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy. University of Buffalo. July 21, 2013 2013
- Xunzi as Moral Craftsman. International Conference on Nature and Value in Chinese and Western Philosophies. Rutgers University. April 4, 2013 2013
- Response to "Rethinking Equality" by Wang Hui, Tsinghua University. Conference on Human Rights. National Humanities Center. March 22, 2013 2013
- Xunzi as Moral Craftsman. Conference "Contemporary Philosophy in an Age of Globalization". University of Hawaii at Manoa and University of Tokyo. February 26, 2013 2013
- Leys Lecture Keynote Address: What We Can Learn from Early Confucian Philosophy about Moral Development . 2012 Meetings of Society for Comparative and Asian Philosophy. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. October 12, 2012 2012
- Chinese Philosophy and the Development of Compassion. Philomathia Lectures on Human Values. Chinese University of Hong Kong. May 1, 2012 2012
- Metaphors for self-cultivation in the Analects, Mencius, and Xunzi: adornment, craft, flowing water, and sprouts. Columbia University Seminar for Comparative Philosophy. Columbia University. February 24, 2012 2012
- Integrity Philosophy with Anthropology in an Approach to Morality. Philosophy Colloquium. Colorado College. December 15, 2011 2011
- How Does Xunzi Really Disagree with Mencius? How Their Differences Might Help Us Think about Human Nature and Morality. Philosophy Colloquium. National University of Singapore. August 12, 2011 2011
- The Place of Love in a Good Life. Conference in honor of Joel J. Kupperman. University of Connecticut at Storrs. May 21, 2011 2011
- Reconsidering Mencius' and Xunzi's Conceptions of Human Nature in the Light of their Continued Relevance. APA Symposium on Chinese Philosophy, 2010 Eastern Division Meetings. American Philosophical Association. December 28, 2010 2010
- Keynote Address: What We Can Learn from Mencius on Human Nature and the Development of Ethical Virtue. 35th Annual Midwest Philosophy Colloquium. University of Minnesota at Morris. October 8, 2010 2010
- Are Moral Conversions Possible?. Colloquium Series. Institute for Advanced Study, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. October 7, 2010 2010
- Mencius on Human Nature and Ethical Virtue. Conference on The Good Life and Conceptions of Life in Greek and Chinese Antiquity.. University of Glasgow. June 6, 2010 2010
- Commentary on "Perceived Objectivity of Ethical Beliefs" by Goodwin and Darley. Workshop on Metaethics. New York University. May 1, 2010 2010
- Integrating Philosophy with Anthropology in an Approach to Morality. Symposium on approaches to the anthropology of morality. American Anthropological Association. December 5, 2009 2009
- Complexity and Simplicity in Aristotle and Early Daoist Thought. Philosophy colloquium. Bryn Mawr College. October 1, 2009 2009
- Relativism and the Explanation of Commonality and Difference. Address to Society for Empirical Ethics. American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division. April 9, 2009 2009
- Veroni Lecture: How Are Moral Conversions Possible?. Kent State University. March 11, 2009 2009
- Can Love Be Reasoned?. Symposium on Love. Eastern Division Meetings of American Philosophical Association. December 28, 2008 2008
- Pluralism and Ambivalence. Invited talk, Eastern Division Meetings. American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division. December 28, 2008 2008
- Cultural Pluralism and Moral Identity. Conference on moral personality, also the "pre-conference" for the annual meeting of the Association for Moral Education. University of Notre Dame, Association for Moral Education. November 13, 2008 2008
- Teaching Comparative Ethics. Workshop on Teaching Ethics. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. April 22, 2008 2008
- Respondent to an panel on my book Natural Moralities at Pacific APA. "Author meets Critics" Symposium. American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division. March 20, 2008 2008
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Service to the Profession
- At large member of the Board of Officers. American Philosophical Association. 2015 - 2018 2015 - 2018
- Advisory editor for the Journal of the American Philosophical Association. April 1, 2014 2014
- Served as an external examiner for Masters thesis "Li: an Interpretation" by Colin Lewis, Hong Kong University. April 27, 2012 2012
- Visiting committee to the Philosophy Department of the National University of Singapore. September 22, 2011 2011
- Visiting Committee to the Philosophy Department of the National University of Singapore. August 2011 2011
- External reader on PhD dissertation in Philosophy, University of Toronto. June 2011 2011
- Adviser to program committee of Eastern Division, APA. 2010 - 2013 2010 - 2013
- Adviser to program committee of Eastern Division, APA. 2010 - 2013 2010 - 2013
- Review submitted entries for International Encyclopedia of Ethics. 2010 2010
- Rater of graduate programs for Philosophical Gourmet. January 7, 2008 2008
- Reviewed applications for National Humanities Center Fellowship. 2008 2008
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Service to Duke
- Co-Chair, Duke-Kunshan Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Committee. April 2018 2018
- DUS. August 1, 2014 2014
- Director of Undergraduate Studies, Philosophy Department. 2014 - 2015 2014 - 2015
- Steering committee LACC (Duke-Kunshan), . 2014 2014
- Academic Integrity Council. December 2, 2013 2013
- Faculty Council of Kenan Institute. November 30, 2013 2013
- Graduate student admission committee. March 14, 2013 2013
- Academic Integrity Council. 2013 2013
- Liberal Arts for Duke Kunshan University. December 30, 2012 2012
- Liberal Arts for Duke Kunshan University. 2012 2012
- Chair, Coordinator Philosophy Colloquium . 2011 - 2014 2011 - 2014
- Faculty Council of Kenan Ethics Institute. September 1, 2010 2010
- Provost's Advisory Committee onAppointment, Promotion, and Tenure. September 1, 2010 2010
- Chair, Faculty Council of Kenan Ethics Institute. 2010 - 2014 2010 - 2014
- Provost's Advisory Committee onAppointment, Promotion, and Tenure. 2010 - 2013 2010 - 2013
- Convener. Kenan Faculty Study Group. December 30, 2009 2009
- Colloquium Coordinator. September 1, 2009 - May 20, 2014 2009 - 2014
- Stillman Chair Search Committee. January 7, 2008 - July 1, 2009 2008 - 2009
- Chair, Philosophy Department. 2004 - 2007 2004 - 2007
- Arts and Sciences Council. 2003 - 2004 2003 - 2004
Some information on this profile has been compiled automatically from Duke databases and external sources. (Our About page explains how this works.) If you see a problem with the information, please write to Scholars@Duke and let us know. We will reply promptly.