A philosophy writer and researcher specializing in Chinese Philosophy, Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, and comparative philosophy, Stephen C. Angle’s research focuses on philosophy’s role in human rights, politics, and ethics both in China and globally. Angle’s work is informed by an on-going exchange of ideas with colleagues in universities around the world and through his international philosophy blog, http://warpweftandway.com/.
Fluent in Mandarin and in classical Chinese, Angle has spent Fulbright years in Taipei and in Beijing, and was a Berggruen Fellow at Tsinghua University during academic year 2016-17. Many of his books and essays have appeared in Chinese translation. Angle’s books include Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to Life (Oxford, 2022), Neo-Confucianism: A Philosophical Introduction (co-authored with Justin Tiwald; Polity, 2017), Virtue Ethics and Confucianism (Routledge, 2013), Contemporary Confucian Political Philosophy: Toward Progressive Confucianism (Polity, 2012), Sagehood: The Contemporary Significance of Neo-Confucian Philosophy (Oxford, 2009), and Human Rights and Chinese Thought (Cambridge, 2002). Most of Angle’s publications are freely available through Wesleyan’s digital archive, and his full CV is here.
Angle received his B.A. from Yale University in East Asian Studies and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. Since 1994 he has taught at Wesleyan University, where he is now Director of the Fries Center for Global Studies, Professor of Philosophy, and Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies. In March 2010, Angle presented the inaugural Tang Junyi Lecture Series at the University of Michigan. Angle is a recipient of multiple grants and Wesleyan’s Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. He is a past President of the International Society for Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Philosophy.
See here for Angle’s recommendations of the five best books on how ancient Confucianism tells us to live well today.