Derong Chen

Derong Chen received his first Ph.D. in Western philosophy from Wuhan University in 1990 and a second Ph.D. in Chinese philosophy from the University of Toronto in 2005. As a visiting scholar, he completed non-degree advanced study at Columbia University in New York from 1994 to 1996. He taught philosophy at Sichuan College of Education in Chengdu from 1981-1987 and at Sichuan University as an associate professor. Simultaneously, he served as supervisor and coordinator for MA graduate students in the philosophy department from 1990-1994. In 1996, as a new immigrant, he landed in Canada. From the following year to 2005, he studied Chinese philosophy in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto. After graduating from the University of Toronto, he was appointed as a full professor and served as the director of the center of comparative studies in the college of philosophy at Wuhan University from 2006 to 2008. In 2008, he returned to Toronto and started teaching Chinese language and culture in the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga till now.

Derong Chen has published three books (A Study of Locke’s Theory of Meaning (Chinese, China, 1992), Metaphorical Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy: Illustrated with Feng Youlan’s New Metaphysics (English, USA, 2011), and Reconstructing Metaphorical Metaphysics in Ancient Chinese Philosophy: Meta-One vs. Harmony (English, USA, 2024). All these books dealt with philosophical issues from the perspective of language. He translated A. J. Ayer’s book, Hume, from English to Chinese and published it serially in the journal of Sichuan College of Education in 1987.

Areas of Teaching and Research Interests

• Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy from the perspective of language

Selected Publications

His published journal articles and book chapters in English and Chinese focused on philosophy, including

• “Dao Legislates for Humans vs. Human Legislates for Themselves: A Comparison of Laozi’s and Confucius’ Conceptions of Dao” (English, USA, 2009).
• “Identifying the Limitations of Empirical Words in Metaphysics： The First Step to Develop Chinese Philosophy in the 21st Century ----Exemplified by the Category Qi” (Chinese, Beijing, 2003).
• The Predicament of the Correspondence Theory of Truth: Kant’s Challenge” (Chinese, Beijing, 1990).
• “On the Internal Differences between Hegel’s Conceptions of Two Kinds of Practice” (Chinese, Beijing, 1990).
• “Exploration of Feng You Lan’s Holistic View of Social Ethics” (Chinese, Beijing, 2000).
• “Feng Youlan’s Interpretation of Western Philosophy: A Critical Examination from the Perspective of Metaphysical Methodology” (English, USA, 2014).
• “Di 帝 and Tian 天 in Ancient Chinese Thought: A Critical Analysis of Hegel’s Views” (English, Springer, 2009).
• “Three Meta-Questions in Epistemology: A Rethinking of Some of Zhuangzi’s Metaphors (English, USA, 2005).
• “The Biographies of Lao Zi and Confucius in the Shiji: An Illustration of Sima Qian’s Historiographical Stance” (English, Canada, 2000).
• “Philosophical Study and the Study of Philosophy” (Chinese, Chengdu, 1993).
• “An Outline of the Theory of Practical Intention of Meaning” (Chinese, Chengdu, 1991).
• “The Negative and the Reconstruction of Metaphysics: A Comparative Study of Kant and Bergson” (Chinese, Chengdu, 1987).
• “On Reflection” (Chinese, Chengdu, 1987); “On Kant’s View of Two Kinds of Conception of Practice” (Chinese, Beijing, 1984).
• “On the Two Layers in Epistemology) (Chinese, Beijing, 1984, Pen name: Chen Yu).

Derong Chen’s conference papers concentrate on the Chinese language and philosophy:

• “The Transformation of Teacher’s Role in Today’s High-tech Educational Environment” (English). Presented at International Educational Conference at Harvard University on August 8, 2017.
• “Exploration and Analyses of The Transformations of Word Class, Word Meaning and the Grammatical Phenomenon of Object Front in Confucian Classics” (Chinese). Presented at the 5th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy. The conference was organized by the Chinese Culture and Education Society of Canada in OESI on August 5, 2017.
• “The Multiple Functions of Movie in Teaching Language: Illustrated with the Chinese The movie “Raise the Red Lanterns.” Sixth Annual Meeting of the Association of Chinese Language Teachers in Ontario, McMaster University, January 23, 2010.
• Guest lecture: “Theory of Human Nature in Ancient Chinese Philosophy,” Invited by Prof. Barry Allen and Prof. Brain Garrett. McMaster University. October 23, 2009.
• “The Dao in Daodejing and Analects: A Comparative Study” (English). Presented at APA Central Conference in Chicago, USA, April 20, 2007
• “Metaphor and Abstractness: Metaphysical Terms in Chinese and Western Philosophy.” (English). Presented at APA Pacific Conference in San Francisco， April 7, 2007.
• “Beyond Relativism: Examining Tan Sitong’s Criticism of Confucian Ethics” (English). Presented at APA Pacific Conference in San Francisco, April 6, 2007
• “Faith and Behavior: A Comparative Study of Ethical Principles of Behavior in the Lotus Sutra and the New Testament” (English). Presented at the APA Pacific Conference in San Francisco on March 1, 2003.
• “A Study of Feng You Lan’s Holistic View of Social Ethics” (Chinese) Presented at the International Conference of Eastern Social Philosophy, held by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing (Bei Dai He), July 23, 2001.
• “Identifying the limitations of Empirical Words in Metaphysics: The First Step to Develop Chinese Philosophy in the 21st Century” (English). The 12th International Conference on Chinese Philosophy: Beijing, July 27, 2001.
• “Characterizing Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy Exemplified by the Category Qi.” The First Inter-University Seminar on the Dao of the Chinese Language and Culture: Interdisciplinary Approaches: University of Toronto, Canada. October 26, 2001 (English).
• “Feng Youlan’s Li and Hegel’s Absolute Idea: A Comparative Study.” The 97th Annual Meeting of the East Division of the American Association of Philosophy, New York, December 29, 2000 (English).
• “Can Dao Be Expressed?” The First Conference of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada, August 23, 2000 (English).