Prestigious Chinese Scholar to Speak at CWU Philosophy Colloquium

Lau’s talk, “A Functionalist Approach to Kant,” focuses on the question: how must the human mind work in order to have cognition of objects? Answering this question gives Kant a clue to determine the basic structure of reality as we understand it. The lecture will be relevant to people who are interested in the philosophy of mind, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, and intellectual history.

“This is an exciting opportunity to learn about one of the most important philosophers in the history of Western philosophy from one of the world’s best scholars on Kant,” said Matthew Altman, chair of Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

According to Altman, Lau is considered one of the foremost experts on late 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy. He is the author of two books, Hegels Urteilskritik and A New Interpretation of Hegel, and has published a number of articles on German idealism.

The Chinese government’s Outward Research Mobility program, designed to support international collaboration in scholarship, is sponsoring Lau’s visit to CWU. The philosophy and religious studies department will serve as his host during his stay.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at 509-963-1818 or philo@cwu.edu.

Media contact: Dawn Alford, public affairs coordinator, 509-963-1484, Dawn.Alford@cwu.edu.