Lok Chui Choo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Nanyang Technological University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lingnan University and a Master of Philosophy degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests lie in Chinese philosophy, moral psychology, metaethics, epistemology and self-knowledge, especially in Confucian philosophy.
What excites you about philosophy?
When I was an adolescent, I often asked myself about the one thing I should pursue in my life, through which I could contribute to the world and demonstrate my uniqueness. When I read Plato’s Symposium, I realised that it is our awareness of our insufficient knowledge that differentiates us from others. As most readers know, ‘philosophy’ is derived from the Greek words ‘philo’ (love) and ‘sophia’ (wisdom), so it literally means ‘the love of wisdom’. A philosopher is a person who craves wisdom because he or she is aware of his or her ignorance. This craving is what has set me on my own path and kept me excited about philosophy.
What’s your favorite quote?
‘If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgement about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgement now. But if anything in your own disposition gives you pain, who hinders you from correcting your opinion?’ — Marcus Aurelius
What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on my dissertation about moral failure in Mencius’ moral psychology. With the use of textual analysis and philosophical analysis as the main methods, this study conducts a philosophical investigation of Mencius’ ethics by interpreting and analysing certain technical concepts in his book, including the concepts of si 思 (reflect, think), xin 心 (the heart/mind) and zhi 志 (the will, the goal of the heart/mind). This study seeks to respond to the most basic question in moral psychology: Why does moral failure occur? Accordingly, I delineate the framework of Mencius’ moral psychology as including the heart/mind (xin), the function of the heart/mind (si) and the direction of the heart/mind (zhi) as its three fundamental psychological aspects.
Many commentators have acknowledged the importance of reflection (si) as the function of the heart/mind to Mencian self-cultivation. However, how the will (zhi), as the direction or intention of the heart/mind, is necessary for moral success and how it plays an important role in Mencian self-cultivation have yet to be analysed. How its relationship with qi 氣 (vital energies) makes the will a necessary condition for moral success has yet to be revealed. In addition, the relationship between moral reflection and the will in Mencius’ ethics also has yet to be clarified. My thesis will not only argue for the importance of reflection (si) and the will (zhi) to Mencian self-cultivation, it will also scrutinise the roles played by reflection and the will in moral success and how the will is related to moral reflection in Mencius’ ethics.
What is your favourite film of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
My favourite film of all time is The Matrix because it vividly brings the elements of skepticism to our daily lives. When I first learnt about Cartesian scepticism, I had never imagined that our perceptual beliefs could be so uncertain. We rely heavily on our perceptions in our daily lives without any doubts. We feel pain when we fall. We dare to cross the road only when our eyes see no car passing on it. We take perception as indubitable and never imagine that our perceptual beliefs can be mistaken, but this possibility is vividly presented in the movie. I would recommend The Matrix not only to my colleagues, but also to those not in the field of philosophy because it inspires audiences to think about a philosophical problem.
What are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
I am re-reading Kwong Loi Shun’s book Mencius and Early Chinese Thought, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Chinese philosophy. This book covers the historical context and the most significant topics in Mencius’s thought, and presents various possible interpretations of many early Chinese texts and their implications. It contains solid textual analyses and brilliant philosophical analyses, and demonstrates a research method in which philosophical arguments are constructed in a way that allows the reader to maintain an unbiased and receptive mind to the texts. It emphasises the importance of analysing the texts with the goal of approximating the ideas according to their historical and cultural contexts.
What is your favourite sound in the world?
My rabbit, Caramelmel, makes a certain ‘thump’ noise when he is seeking my attention, although he does not want me to hug him.
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.
