Originally posted in "The Philosopher's Cocoon: a safe and supportive forum for philosophers" https://philosopherscocoon.typepad.com/blog/2020/02/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-philosopher-in-taiwan-.html
What is it like to be a philosopher in Taiwan?
This is the sixteenth installment of The Cocoon Goes Global, a series that gives a sense of what the philosophy profession looks like outside of the Anglophone West, written by Lynn (Hsien-I) Chiu and translated and edited by Lynn (Chien-Hui) Chiu.
Author: Lynn (Hsien-I) Chiu is a Taiwanese public philosopher. She has earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degree in philosophy (focus: philosophy of biology) from Taiwan and was a postdoc there for four years. She taught as an adjunct for five years and was a visiting scholar at Duke University, USA. For the past five years, she’s been promoting philosophy to the Tauwanese public at Philosophy Medium.
Editor and translator: Lynn (Chien-Hui) Chiu is a Taiwanese philosopher of biology. She was part of a philosophy research group before leaving the country to complete a PhD/MA in philosophy at University of Missouri, USA, a fellowship in Austria, and a three-year postdoc in France. She is currently based in Vienna, working part-time as an interdisciplinary communications consultant while co-running the Philosophy of Science Communication network.
This piece was written by Lynn (Hsien-I) Chiu in Chinese and translated & edited by Lynn (Chien-Hui) Chiu into English. The following preserves Lynn-the-author’s point of view while Lynn-the-editor occasionally interjects.
What is it like for a Westerner to live in Taiwan?
Taiwan is an island nation with a population of 23 million. There is a long and complicated story to tell about the nation’s difficult international status, but the focus here is what it is like to live, teach, and do philosophy in Taiwan. Given my experience at Duke University, aside from differences in language and culture, the Taiwanese way of life is not that different from life in an US city. Taiwan is a multi-ethnic nation quick to accept, adopt, and adapt to foreign cultures and fresh perspectives, actively assimilating them into new, constitutive parts of Taiwanese culture. In my experience, Western friends and visiting scholars have unanimously praised the hospitality and politeness of the Taiwanese--to a fault as the kindness can be a bit overwhelming! Western comfort food is easy to find. Overall, Taiwan is a comfortable place for Western philosophers to visit and live: one can enjoy the pleasures of an exotic place while staying within their comfort zones (Editor: English is a mandatory foreign language and people are always eager to converse. The only trick to getting along is to always, always compliment the food!).
What is the state of philosophy in Taiwan?
Taiwan may be small, but we have 160 universities and 13 departments of philosophy. Taiwanese philosophy inherited an early Chinese focus in Confucianism, with contemporary Neo-Confucianism peaking between the 1950s and 80s. Yet with the introduction of Western philosophy in the 80s, Confucianism gradually lost its hold. A wave of young scholars returning from graduate studies in the UK, US, and Europe brought international academic trends to Taiwan. This new generation of philosophers, trained in Western philosophy, taught and raised further generations of philosophers to follow their footsteps, i.e., to pursue doctoral studies abroad (which has now expanded to include Australia, Canada, etc.) and return to Taiwan to teach.
Western philosophy has now gained a strong foothold in Taiwan and continues to rise in prominence while Eastern and Chinese philosophy seem to fail to attract new students and scholars. The 2019 Ministry of Science and Technology survey of academic philosophy shows that scholars specializing in Chinese philosophy now make up about a third of the total faculty. Within Western philosophy, there is broad interest and expertise in the mainstream fields of continental philosophy, analytic philosophy, philosophy of science, political philosophy, ethics and moral philosophy, philosophy of mind, as well as specialized areas such as philosophy of biology, philosophy of technology and scientific practice, etc.
(Editor: Interestingly, new interdisciplinary research programs that organically integrate philosophy (of mind and cognition or philosophy of science, for instance) and the sciences (neuroscience or immunology, for instance) have sprouted rather independently of the philosophy community.)
In my opinion, Taiwanese philosophy has, in a sense, been “colonized” by Western philosophy: research questions in philosophy are usually framed as responses to the Western canon. In the last decade, though, Taiwanese scholars are increasingly interested in establishing their own subjectivity and a uniquely “Taiwanese” philosophy. A “decolonized” Taiwan is not a return to Chinese philosophy but the development of autonomous research lines and proactive interactions with the West (instead of passively transmitting philosophy from the West) as well as the East (with neighbors such as Korea, Japan, Malaysia, China, etc.). The geographical location and Westernized environment of Taiwan make it a node for “West meets East” and Pan-Asian activities, such as the Asia-Pacific Philosophy of Science Association (APPSA).
What about the state of women in philosophy?
The same 2019 survey by the Ministry of Science and Technology revealed that there are 33 female professors of philosophy, about a quarter of the total professorship. Of the 2000 undergraduate majors and post-graduate students, 44% are women (47.01% of undergraduate majors and 40.87% of the post-graduate population).
The results are surprising for both of us (author and editor). In the author’s experience, philosophy is a female-dominated major but very few continue to pursue graduate studies. During her PhD, she was often the only woman in graduate seminars. The editor was a teaching assistant for philosophy undergraduates and the classrooms were indeed primarily female. Based on our conjecture that philosophy is often thought of as a “soft” humanities discipline in Taiwan, the expectation was that survey results will reflect our experiences: undergraduate majors would be predominantly female while graduate programs overwhelmingly male. That neither was the case in 2019 hopefully reflects the progress made in the past decade to make philosophy better known and inclusive.
What is the job market like in Taiwan?
It is competitive with few faculty positions available, but since the positions are not easily accessible for non-native speakers, the source of competition stems largely from within (Editor: but it is possible to become a faculty in Taiwan without the ability to speak Mandarin Chinese). Having international experience and degrees as well as an impressive publication list is a major plus. It is always helpful to have strong local connections and networks to beat the odds. The Taiwanese education system is currently suffering from a low birth rate crisis. As overall student numbers continue to drop, universities are closing departments and shutting down majors, axing those with low enrollment first. As is the case in most countries, philosophy is not a popular major among students. Therefore, local, Taiwanese PhD degree holders are faced with a harsh job market as the market shrinks but still favors holders of Western PhDs.
That being said, philosophy is becoming increasingly popular in general society. The 2014 student-led political movement (the “Sunflower Student Movement”) and new educational reforms gave the younger generation a strong sense of autonomy and desire for critical thinking as well as a more liberal arts-leaning education. Public philosophers are rising in popularity across all types of media, and more and more philosophy majors are considering or taking up public philosophy as a profession (see below for a list of main initiatives). As far as I know, this is not a uniquely Taiwanese phenomenon. The US society, for instance, also craves philosophy and many PhDs are leaving the academy to teach and promote philosophy outside of the university. There should be increasing recognition in the academy that public philosophy is a fruitful career path for philosophy PhDs and a solution to the employment crisis in philosophy.
The culture in philosophy departments is also changing as they fight for survival. Many adapt by taking a pragmatic turn, offering attractive courses in applied philosophy (e.g., business, medical, and AI ethics, philosophy of mental health and aging) or collaborating with the booming “cultural and creative industry” to produce creative educational and civic training materials for the public. Logic and critical reasoning popular books and courses are particularly in demand. Unfortunately, these efforts do not translate into academic employment opportunities for early-career scholars.
What is it like to teach and research in Taiwan?
Editor: Research-wise, public universities are more prestigious than private ones. In addition to university faculty positions, researchers can apply for positions at the Academia Sinica, the national academy of Taiwan equivalent to Max Planck Institutes or the CNRS. Postdocs are available in many departments, but mostly funded by grants. Research is published in local or cross-strait Chinese journals and major English outlets. Workshops, summer schools, conferences, etc., are well-connected with international communities and often held in English. Relatedly, many departments encourage teaching in English and upper-level readings are usually in English (except for Chinese philosophy).
Teaching-wise, Taiwanese universities, like the US, are 4-year undergraduate programs. Unlike the US, students need to go through a 2-4 year master’s program before they can start their doctoral studies. (Editor: Application channels are much more diverse than a decade ago, but generally students enroll into university by first taking an universal exam that determines their overall rank. Highly ranked students choose their major and university first. The rest then pick what’s left based on their rank order. Philosophy is usually not a first choice, but philosophy majors at prestigious universities are still favored over popular majors in low-ranking universities.)
Compared to students in the Western world, Taiwanese students are passive and timid. They do not tend to ask questions in the classroom and are less inclined to engage in independent, critical thinking. It is rewarding, however, as one will always have students enthusiastic about philosophy. Overall, being a philosopher in Taiwan can be a very enjoyable experience (minus the tedious administrative duties). (Editor: “West” usually refers to North American students, who are more outspoken and proactive compared to their reserved European counterparts. Taiwanese students are quiet mostly out of consideration for other students and expect themselves to "do their homework" first before speaking up. They also tend to trust and defer to authority. This is a cultural disposition Westerns should know before judging “shy” international students.)
What does the general public think of philosophy?
In our experience, the public holds a negative attitude towards philosophy as a major. Common beliefs include “philosophy is for weirdos,” “philosophers will starve on the streets,” “philosophers are depressed and wallow in self-inflicted worries,” etc. In general, the public does not understand what it means to study philosophy and do not know what it is to engage in abstract argumentation.
But with the rise of public philosophy in popular media, attitudes are changing. Popular organizations such as Cafe Philo/Philosophy on Friday (哲學星期五) and Philosophical Education Development Organization (PHEDO) (高中哲學推廣協會), businesses such as Philosophy Medium (哲學新媒體) and Watchout Talk Philosophy (烙哲學), public intellectuals and philosophers including Kris Chu Chia-An and Chou Wei-hang, public programs such as the video series 哲學談，淺淺地 and award-winning radio program PHEDO Café (哲學Café), and a wide variety of local "philosophy salons" are driving public curiosity and interest in philosophy. Compared to the relatively listless student body in the university, philosophy instructors are coming to realize that bringing philosophy to the public presents them with a far more passionate and attentive audience.
The author, editor, and many philosophers who have contributed to this piece conclude that philosophy in Taiwan is a dynamic melting pot of Eastern/Chinese Philosophy, Western Philosophy, and science-related philosophy, bubbling with new collaborations and insights while bursting from boundary tensions. Public philosophy is popular and holds great opportunities for philosophers. We look forward to seeing how Taiwanese subjectivity will develop as philosophers navigate their rich, diverse milieu in and out of academia.
Acknowledgment and Supplementary Materials
Many thanks to Dr. Shiu-Ching Wu for pointing us to statistical resources and Dr. Ruey-Lin Chen for the commentaries and for bringing us together. We are very thankful for extensive comments from Dr. Chia-Hua Lin as well as helpful conversations and input from Dr. Hsiao-Fan Yeh, Dr. Ying-Tung Lin, Dr. Tony H. Y. Cheng, and Dr. Shen-Yi Liao.
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