BRIEF INTRODUCTION
The question “Do we truly have the freedom to choose?” has long lingered in my mind as an unresolved puzzle, one that has accompanied me throughout my academic journey. Equally perplexing to me is the question, “What exactly is thinking?” This curiosity has led me down paths of logic, critical thinking, metaphor, and cognitive science.
In recent years, driven by this mix of curiosity and wonder, I have sought to make a breakthrough in political philosophy, proposing a new approach I call “civic philosophy,” and have chosen the US-Taiwan-China relations as the focus of my exploration of civic philosophy. This philosophy is based on three basic core principles: reframing philosophy, embracing cognitive diversity, and orienting research from a civic perspective. A key argument in Civic Philosophy is that the idea of civic community is apt for anchoring our understanding Taiwan's constitutional democracy.
As my journey continued, I adopted the hypothesis that China is still in the midst of state-building. This hypothesis requires a broader view of contemporary China, coupled with critical reflection on its past and potential future. By stretching the lens of time, I argued for a shift in perspective, from the cross-strait perspective to that of US-China relations, and proposed a new conception of freedom—what I call “freedom of self-cultivation,” a freedom rooted in our participating in human civilizations—and discuss questions about political values in China. Looking ahead, I ask and plan to explore a further question: In what way can the enduring, civilizational China be understood as a singular political entity that has emerged throughout history and persists to the present day?
Throughout my work on civic philosophy, I have made a deliberate effort to balance the rigor of academic thought with an accessible style for broader readership, hoping to contribute to Taiwan’s ongoing dialogue about political values and the challenges that lie ahead.