Diversifying the Canon: Interview with Bryan W. Van Norden

Bryan W. Van Norden is Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor at Yale-NUS College and also professor of philosophy at Vassar College.  He is the author of nine books on Chinese and comparative philosophy, including most recently Taking Back Philosophy: A Multicultural Manifesto.  This book is based on a controversial New York Times editorial in which Van Norden and Jay Garfield of Smith College challenged departments to change their names to “Departments of Anglo-European Philosophy” if they refuse to teach any Chinese, Indian, African, or Indigenous American philosophy.

What are you doing in your own classroom or university to diversify the philosophical canon?

I’m currently teaching at Yale-NUS College, which has a multicultural Common Core that introduces students to philosophy and literature, with an emphasis on the Anglo-European, Chinese, and Indian traditions.  It’s a great example of how to successfully integrate multicultural thought into the liberal arts curriculum.  I also have taught at Vassar College for more than 20 years, and my colleagues in philosophy have been very supportive of a multicultural approach to philosophy.

Which pieces do you find resonate most with students?

Three of the best pieces to teach are the eponymous writings of Mozi, Mengzi, and Zhuangzi.  Mozi is a consequentialist who criticizes Confucian virtue ethics and argues for “impartial caring” (an agent-neutral obligation to assist others).  Mengzi defends Confucian virtue ethics on the basis of a theory of human nature, which he supports with a variety of thought experiments, historical arguments, and philosophical dialogues.  Zhuangzi is like Nietzsche in that he writes in an elusive style, but you will find in his work arguments for skepticism, relativism, and a kind of monistic mysticism.  One of the interesting challenges in teaching Zhuangzi is figuring out how those themes relate to one another, but students always love Zhuangzi because of his delightful style.  Selections from all three philosophers are available in Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden, eds., Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, 2nd ed. (Hackett Publishing).  If you need a secondary text (either for your students or yourself), I wrote Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy (Hackett Publishing).

What advice do you have for other philosophers interested in these pieces you’re recommending?

I maintain a website that includes a Bibliography on the Less Commonly Taught Philosophies (LCTP), along with a section on Teaching resources, including sample syllabi and handouts:  http://www.bryanvannorden.com/

What general advice do you have for other philosophers interested in diversifying their syllabi?

Remember that you are a philosopher, so you know how to teach philosophy, regardless of its culture of origin.  Most philosophers teach Plato, Descartes, and Kant in their introductory courses, regardless of whether they can read Classical Greek, Latin, French, or German.  Similarly, you can easily teach Indian or Chinese philosophy without knowing the original languages.  I am learning more about African and Indigenous American philosophy myself, so cannot speak with the same level of understanding, but what I have started to learn seems fascinating.