Dong-yong Choi is an ABD graduate student at the University of Kansas. His dissertation topic is on prudence. Besides this topic, he is also interested in theories of well-being and medical ethics. Currently, he is participating in a project on nanomedicine at Yonsei University. In his free time, he usually takes a walk with his dog.
What excites you about philosophy?
It would be awesome if I resurrected after death. However, I am not sure whether these religious events are possible. In particular, I (tentatively) believe that this life is my first and also my last. Whenever this unpleasant thought occurs to me, I have a strong desire to live a good life. I would like to engage in valuable activities because I live only once. A problem is that it is not always clear to me which decision I should make in order to live a prudentially, morally, or all-things-considered good life. Philosophy (especially, ethics) is a good guide when I am puzzled by the questions pertaining to a good life, life’s meaning, and prudential goods. Philosophers have provided interesting thoughts on what makes a person’s life better, which lives are meaningful, and why those lives are meaningful. Sometimes these thoughts on life’s value and meaning make me more puzzled, but at least they help me in figuring out what I don’t know. This is why I like to read philosophical works, and why I am excited when I engage in philosophical activities.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
My favorite work is my dissertation. I like this work because this is my first achievement in academia. In the literature on prudence, it is widely assumed that an agent’s welfare at all times is equally important in evaluating the agent’s actions and attitudes. In my dissertation, I argue against this dominant view of prudence. I show that agents can have friendships with themselves at other times. Furthermore, I point out that in terms of psychology agents are related to themselves in the past and future. Based on these facts about friendship and psychological relations, I suggest the care thesis of prudence, according to which if an agent cares for herself at a time more than for herself at other times, then it is permissible that the agent prioritizes the former’s benefits over the latter’s advantages. This is because caring within friendship/psychological relations is significant in evaluating actions and attitudes. In particular, within the framework of the care thesis, I analyze some phenomena of prudence (e.g. future-biased attitudes). I hope this new view of prudence contributes to enriching the discussion of prudence.
What are you working on right now?
In the literature on well-being, it is often mentioned that an agent’s knowledge increases the agent’s level of welfare. For instance, according to Derek Parfit’s objective list theory, knowledge is on the list of prudentially valuable items. However, an in-depth study of knowledge’s prudential value has not yet been explored. In my new project, I study a mechanism through which an agent’s knowledge acquisition increases the agent’s level of welfare. In particular, based on the idea that an agent has friendships with herself at other times, I will explain why an agent’s self-knowledge increases the agent’s welfare.
I am also conducting a scoping review on the ethical issues of nanomedicine. The medical law & ethics department at Yonsei University is performing a 3-year-project in regard to nanomedicine combined with new technologies, such as the internet of things and machine learning. In this team project, my role is to identify which ethical issues have been pointed out in the literature of nanomedicine, IoT, and ML. I am still not familiar with the research methodology of the scoping review. However, I am enjoying this work since I can learn new technologies in medicine, and it is delightful to apply my philosophical knowledge to new areas.
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
I admire many philosophers, such as Aristotle, Henry Sidgwick, and Derek Parfit. However, my favorite philosopher is Dale Dorsey. Recently Dale has published papers on prudence. Reading his clear, thoughtful, and genuine papers is delightful especially when I struggle to understand the discussion of prudence or solve some puzzles of prudence. I also like Dale as senior scholar because he has shown great leadership while supervising my dissertation. Without Dale’s support and patience, I could not have completed my dissertation. I appreciate the support and patience he has shown to me throughout the Ph.D. program.
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
For a month, I travelled China along the Silk Road. From Qingdao to Kashgar. I walked the road just as countless merchants, scholars and Buddhist monks have done in order to reach “Western Regions.” Among all those cities, I especially like Xian and Urumuqi. In the cities, locals invited me to their places and provided me with nice meals. While having conversations with these good-willed people, I was inspired to think about various topics, such as what makes me happy and what makes my life meaningful. After completing this long-term travel, in 2005 I changed my undergraduate major from mechanical engineering to philosophy. This decision has changed the course of my life, and, though there are many areas of my life to improve, I am satisfied with my current self. This is why Xian and Urumuqi are my favorite places.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
