Seoul National University Philosophy Research Institute 248th Colloquium (Professor Seok Bong-rae)
Hello,
We are pleased to announce the 248th Colloquium hosted by the Seoul National University Philosophy Research Institute. This session will feature a lecture by Professor Seok Bong-rae from Alvernia University. We invite all interested participants to join us for this event.
- Date: November 4, 2024 (Monday) 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
- Location: Humanities Building 6, Room 403 (Philosophy Research Institute)
- Speaker: Professor Seok Bong-rae (Alvernia University)
- Topic: *Korean Philosophy in the Anglo-American World - Current Status and Prospects: Moral Psychology, Embodied Cognition, Mind-Body Issues, and Artificial Intelligence’s Moral Theory as Intersections of Korean (Neo-Confucianism/Buddhist) and Anglo-American Philosophy*
Lecture Overview
This lecture will explore how Korean philosophy, with its unique characteristics, is discussed and assimilated within Anglo-American philosophy, particularly in the United States. First, we will discuss the definition of Korean philosophy, outline various approaches, and identify topics where Korean and Anglo-American (especially American) philosophies intersect. Following this, we will examine how the distinctive perspectives of Korean philosophy can contribute to the broader field. Additionally, we will discuss how the deep themes of Korean classical philosophy can connect to contemporary areas like moral psychology, embodied cognition, and artificial intelligence. This lecture will focus primarily on Neo-Confucianism and Confucian philosophy within Korean classical thought to find linkages between Korean and Anglo-American philosophy.
About the Speaker
Professor Seok Bong-rae graduated from the Department of Philosophy at Seoul National University, studied with Alvin Goldman and David Chalmers at the University of Arizona, and completed his Ph.D. on cognitive modularity. He later pursued postdoctoral studies in neuroscience, focusing on responsiveness and modularity in the visual cortex. Currently a professor of philosophy at Alvernia University in Pennsylvania, he has published books and articles on diverse topics in philosophy and cognitive science. His research on cognitive modularity was published in the prestigious journal *Cognitive Science*, and his book *Embodied Moral Psychology and Confucian Philosophy* opened new avenues in moral psychology by exploring the moral cognitive roles of the body.
His other works include *Moral Psychology of Confucian Shame: Shame of Shamelessness* and *Naturalism, Human Flourishing, and Asian Philosophy: Owen Flanagan and Beyond*. Recently, he published *The Future of Artificial Intelligence and the Algorithm of Wisdom* on AI. He advocates for a creative, rigorous interplay between traditional philosophy and empirical science to understand the workings and nature of the human mind, believing that the future of the humanities lies in such intellectual fusion and imagination. His research in Korean philosophy includes numerous publications on debates in Neo-Confucian thought, such as the Four-Seven debate, the Horak debate, and the mind-body debates of the Joseon dynasty. Professor Seok has received the Neag Professor award at Alvernia University, the Charles Fu Award for philosophy papers, and the Lindback Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. He also organizes an annual Korean philosophy session at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA) and serves as a board member of the North American Korean Philosophy Association (NAKPA).