Bohang Chen

Hundred Talents Researcher (equivalent to Assistant Professor)The School of PhilosophyZhejiang University
chenbh07@gmail.comchenbh20@zju.edu.cn

Hello and welcome!

I am Bohang Chen. My professional work is situated in the academic field of philosophy, specifically within philosophy of science (in a very broad sense, including history, logic, and sociology of science), formal logic, and practical philosophy. In recent years, I have focused on two projects: vitalism in the history of philosophy and the sciences, and history of philosophy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the next four or five years (from 2026 to 2030), I will conduct a comprehensive historico-critical investigation of evolutionary thoughts, with the goal of articulating a potentially non-Darwinian framework for understanding biological evolution. After 2030, I aim to expand my research to including three subfields: Late Ming and late Qing Chinese philosophy, formal theories of computation, and history and logic of economic thoughts.

I possess a broad knowledge base not only in academic philosophy today, but also in the sciences and humanities, equipping me to teach a wide range of philosophical subjects with a strong interdisciplinary emphasis. My teaching spans mathematical logic to practical philosophy, which includes philosophical theology and existentialism. In particular, I would be able to conduct most courses in philosophy at an introductory level. And I am also capable of teaching advanced courses in philosophy of biology, general philosophy of science, history of philosophy and the sciences (in the early modern and modern periods), and Chinese philosophy.
On a personal note, I aspire to embody the scholar’s role both as a philosopher in the classical Western tradition and as a literatus(士人)in the traditional Chinese sense. Both the philosopher and the literatus regard the pursuit of wisdom in a short lifespan as the highest goal of human life. I view research and teaching as not merely professions but as callings that resonate deeply with my innermost spiritual life. While I am prepared to adapt professionally to meet financial necessities, my ideal scenario involves leading a life dedicated to research and teaching. If unburdened by financial or political constraints, my dream is to establish and direct an academic institute of liberal education and advanced research grounded in my conception of philosophy. Currently, I am running an online platform, Philhouse(哲理庐), as a prototype of my ideal institute, to share philosophical knowledge in the classical sense, primarily in Chinese(中文). Of course, this platform is designed mainly for Chinese audiences.
Education

2019
Doctor of Philosophy,
Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences,
Ghent University (Ghent, Belgium)

2016
Master of Arts,
History and Philosophy of Science,
John J. Reilly Center & Department of Philosophy,
University of Notre Dame (South Bend, US)


2013

Master of Philosophy,

Institute of Science, Technology and Society,

Tsinghua University (Beijing, P. R. China)


2011

Bachelor of Science,

School of Life Sciences,

Tsinghua University (Beijing, P. R. China)