Bulletin No. 2, 2009

Our Humanities Scholars   13  Hong Kong. He then obtained a second undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of London before going to Oxford University where he pursued postgraduate studies in philosophy. In 1986, he received his PhD in philosophy from Stanford University. After that, he taught philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley for 17 years and was appointed dean of the Undergraduate Division, College of Letters and Science in 2000. Prior to joining CUHK as Professor of Philosophy in 2007, he was the Vice-President of the University of Toronto and Principal of the University of Toronto at Scarborough. Professor Shun attributed his switch from mathematics and Western philosophy to Chinese philosophy, in particular Confucianism, to the social climate of the 1960s and 1970s—the eras when he was a student. ‘Those were times of change and turbulence. China and Hong Kong had gone through a lot. We developed a passion for China, and I determined to pursue an academic career in Chinese philosophy before I finished my undergraduate studies,’ says Professor Shun. So in 1988, shortly after receiving his PhD, Professor Shun devised a large research project for himself. He planned to conduct thorough research on Confucian thought and write three books within 30 years. The first book Mencius and Early Chinese Thought was published in 1997. The basic research for his second book, which will focus on Zhu Xi, an important Confucian philosopher in the Song dynasty, is complete. Professor Shun expects to finish the draft soon. His third book will turn from classical studies to an examination of philosophical themes in Confucian thought. Though preoccupied with research and postgraduate teaching, Professor Shun is eager to teach undergraduate courses because he believes that inspiration and motivation are of vital importance to young people in their formative years. Mencius said that one of the gentleman’s three delights is to enjoy ‘the good fortune of having the most talented pupils in the Empire’. As a dedicated educator, Professor Shun definitely shares Mencius’ view.