Who am I?
Yo-Yo Ma said, ‘I’m a human being first, a citizen second, and a musician third.’
In the same vein: I’m a human being first, a Hong Konger second, and a political philosopher third.
This shapes everything I do: what I research, how I teach, and who I am.
I am first and foremost human. My long-standing preoccupation with understanding humanity and the human condition — in short, what it means to be human — is reflected by my research interest in political perfectionism. I see teaching as a noble vocation that nurtures the holistic growth of a person, beyond simply imparting knowledge.
As human I am rooted in Hong Kong, with its particular context and unique cultures. Ever since my student days, my personal and scholarly trajectories have been inextricably intertwined with the question of Hong Kong’s future. This underpins my commitment to and participation in the community as a scholar.
Hong Kong shapes the core of my pursuit as a political philosopher. The city is defined by hybridity, the often productive fusion of East and West, old and new, the abstract and concrete. This forges the lens through which I interpret Confucianism: not simply attempting to bring Western and Chinese philosophical thoughts and methods side-by-side, but to synthesize them into something new, drawing on teachings from the past to offer insights for the present.
Bird’s eye view of Kowloon from the top of Lion Rock Hill, Hong Kong
When we see people of worth, we should think of equaling them;
when we see people of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
“Li Ren,” The Analects
Joseph C.W. Chan 