Department of Philosophy

Professor Dr. Chung-ying Cheng, internationally known philosopher of East-West integration and a leading representative of Neo-Confucian philosophy in contemporary world, was born in 1935 in China, received his college education at National Taiwan University in Taipei with major in philosophy and literature. He received his M.A. in Philosophy from University of Washington (1959), received Ph.D. in Philosophy (with minor in mathematics) from Harvard University (1964) and started teaching in 1964. He became a tenured full Professor of Philosophy by 1972 at University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Professor Cheng’s specialization includes philosophy of logic and language (Peirce, Quine, Davidson), philosophy of science (Peirce, C.I.Lewis, Quine), ethics, epistemology, metaphysics (Leibniz, Kant, Heidegger, Whitehead), Hermeneutics (Heidegger and Gadamer) and philosophy of culture and value on the Western side, Yijing, Daoism, Confucianism / Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Buddhist Philosophy (Huayan, Tiantai and Chan) on the Eastern side. He is well known for his work in analytical reconstruction of Chinese philosophy, critical study of pragmatism, development of onto-hermeneutics, integrative ethics and theory of creative management based on his work in Yijing onto-cosmology and Daoist onto-ethics.  Recently he argued for both the inner and outer links of Kant with Confucianism and promoted a new approach to Kantian Studies. In all these areas he took initiative to raise new problems, explore new areas and offer new solutions. He has continued to develop more comprehensive and more integrated theory of human nature and mind which leads to an environmental ethics essential for survival and flourishing of humankind.

In the management theory area alone, Professor Cheng proposed in 1979 an integrated philosophy of Chinese management, integrating leadership and strategy, innovation and renovation, human relationship and networking, ethics and economics into a well-organized theory with strong applications. His theory was since then known as “C Theory” or Creativity Theory. His book titled Theory C:  Philosophy of Chinese Management (in Chinese) has been published and known in both China and Taiwan and has been used as text and reference for the last 15 years. It has exercised a great influence in development of Chinese philosophy of management as well as philosophy of Chinese management.

Professor Cheng has published more than 25 books in both English and Chinese and more than 250 essays and papers in various fields of philosophy as mentioned above. His recent work includes Contemporary Chinese philosophy （with Nick Bunnin）(2004),  Theory of Confucian Philosophy (2002), Creating Harmony (1997), Ontology and Interpretation (6 volumes, 1999-2007), Philosophy of Yijing Ontology (2006), Collected Papers of Chung-ying Cheng (2006) and so on.

Professor Cheng is the Founding President for International Society for Chinese Philosophy, Founder and Chairperson for International Society for Yijing, Founder and President for International Association for Chinese Management, and Founder and Chair of Board of International East-West University.
Professor Cheng has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Far Eastern Studies, an Award from British Academy of Sciences and Visiting Professorship at Oxford University, a Senior Research Scholar of Fulbright Programs from US Government.

Professor Cheng has been Visiting Professor at the following institutions: National Taiwan University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, International Christian University (Tokyo), Queens College of City University of New York, Yale University, Oxford University, Berlin Technical University, and many others.  In recent years he has been invited to give series of lectures on Global Confucian Ethics, East-West Aesthetics, Onto-Hermeneutics, and Yijing Philosophy in Management at many European and Chinese universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Copenhagen, University of Stockholm, University of Oslo and University of Iceland. He gave lectures in both Departments of Philosophy and Schools of Business Administration or Schools of Public Administration.