Home | lok-chi-chan

About me

Lok-Chi Chan（陳樂知）is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at National Taiwan University and the current Co-director of the NTU Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics (TSM Center). Born and raised in Hong Kong, he acquired his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2017, following a First Class BA Honours from Monash University in 2011. His academic focus lies in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion, with a particular emphasis on the philosophical worldview of metaphysical naturalism. This involves the exploration of themes like qualia and consciousness, the metaphysical nature of matter (especially its intrinsic and categorical properties), and the characterisation of naturalism and physicalism. Apart from the discussions concerning the nature and setups of naturalism, he maintains an interest in its dialogue with historical metaphysics (esp. from the 17th to the 20th century, including phenomenology) and various forms of non-naturalisms (e.g. idealism and theism). Recently, he has developed an interest in philosophical issues related to artificial intelligence.

Specifically, some of the research questions are as follows: What would an overarching modern worldview informed by the cutting-edge natural and human sciences look like? Why should one accept such a worldview? And, accordingly, how should we understand matter, human consciousness, and the cosmos?

Chan's research has been published in leading philosophy journals and volumes, including the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Philosophical Studies, Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Mind, Erkenntnis, Ratio, Religious Studies, Journal of Consciousness Studies, and Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Apart from his role as Co-Director of the NTU Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics (TSM Center), he has held several professional service positions. Notably, he currently serves as the Vice President of the Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion and is a board member of certain philosophical societies in Taiwan. Previously, he served as Secretary-General of the Taiwan Association for Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science and Technology (LMPST Taiwan).

Chan's media interview (in Chinese), in which he discussed his philosophical views and development:

https://fishandhappiness.blogspot.com/2022/01/blog-post.html

A Google-translated English version which is largely accurate:

https://fishandhappiness-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2022/01/blog-post.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

Honours and awards

Lead article for an article symposium (with invited commentaries), Asian Journal of Philosophy (under revision) 亞洲哲學期刊特刊領銜主題論文（附特邀學者評論）
Full-time Visiting Professor (invited), Department of Philosophy, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Jan 2024-May 2024)香港中文大學哲學系專任客座教授（特邀）
2030 Cross-Generation Young Scholars Program: Emerging Young Scholars Fellowship Award, National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (2022-2026) 國科會2030跨世代年輕學者方案：新秀學者獎助
Global Philosophy of Religion Translation Grant, the Birmingham Centre for Philosophy of Religion, UK & the John Templeton Foundation, US (2021) 全球宗教哲學翻譯獎助，英國伯明翰大學宗教哲學中心與美國約翰坦伯頓基金
University of Sydney International Scholarship, University of Sydney (2012-2016) 澳洲雪梨大學國際獎學金
Faculty of Arts Honours Merit Scholarship, Monash University, 2011. 澳洲蒙納士大學文學院榮譽學士優秀獎學金

Professional services (selected)

Co-director, the NTU Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics (TSM Center) (2025-present) 臺大傳統與科學形上學研究中心共同主任
Vice President, Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion (2024-present) 亞洲宗教哲學學會副會長
Regional Contact of Taiwan, Asian Philosophy of Science Association (2024-present) 亞洲科學哲學學會地區聯繫人（台灣）
Board member, the Taiwan Association for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology (LMPST Taiwan) (2024-present) 臺灣邏輯、方法論、科學與科技哲學學會理事
Board member, Taiwan Philosophical Association (2024-present) 台灣哲學學會理事
CEO, the NTU Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics (TSM Center) (2022-2024) 臺大傳統與科學形上學研究中心執行長
Secretary-General, the Taiwan Association for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology (LMPST Taiwan) (2021-2024) 臺灣邏輯、方法論、科學與科技哲學學會秘書長

Publications

Edited volumes:

Chan, L.C. (ed.) (2025), Topical Collection on J. L. Schellenberg's Divine Hiddenness Argument, Asian Journal of Philosophy, https://link.springer.com/collections/hheaedgbbj (Scopus)
Oppy, G. & Chan, L.C. (eds.) (2024), Special Issue on Analytic Philosophy of Religion, National Taiwan University Philosophical Review, vol. 66.

English articles: (* stands for corresponding author)

Chan, L.C.* & Chen K.C. (minor revision), 'Physical Nature Lives! Naturalism facing Scientism and the Continental Phenomenological Tradition', Asian Journal of Philosophy. (Scopus) [Lead article for an article symposium, with invited commentaries]
Chan, L.C.* & Standefer, S. (accepted, forthcoming), 'Should Atheists Be Worried about Modal Calvinist Epistemology?', Religious Studies, Cambridge University Press, DOI: 10.1017/S0034412525100784 (A&HCI; top-tier specialist journal in philosophy of religion)
Oppy, G. & Chan, L.C.* (2024), 'Guest Editor’s Introduction: The Prospect of Analytic Philosophy of Religion (in East Asia)', National Taiwan University Philosophical Review, vol. 66, pp. 119-140.
Chan, L.C.* & Latham, A.J. (2022), ‘The Possibility of Emergent Conscious Causal Powers’, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol. 100, no. 1, pp. 195-201. (A&HCI)
Chan, L.C.* (2021), ‘Russellian Physicalism and its Dilemma’, Philosophical Studies, vol.178, pp. 2043–2062. (A&HCI)
Chan, L.C.* (2021), ‘Humility Regarding Intrinsic Properties’, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/humili-p/
Chan, L.C.* (2021), ‘On Characterizing Metaphysical Naturalism’, Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Mind, vol. 1, pp. 232-260. [Manuscript available online: https://philarchive.org/rec/CHAD-20]
Chan, L.C.*, Braddon-Mitchell, D. & Latham, A.J. (2020), ‘Alien Worlds, Alien Laws, and the Humean Conceivability Argument’, Ratio, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 1-13. (A&HCI)
Chan, L.C.* (2020), ‘Can the Russellian Monist Escape the Epiphenomenalist’s Paradox?’, in Grasso, M. & Marmodoro, A. (eds.), Topoi, special issue on mental powers, vol. 39, pp. 1093–1102. (A&HCI)
Chan, L.C.* & Latham, A.J. (2019), ‘Four Meta-methods for the Study of Qualia’, Erkenntnis, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 145-167. (A&HCI)
Chan, L.C.* (2018), ‘Emergentism and the contingent solubility of salt’, Theoria, vol. 84, pp. 309-324. (A&HCI)
Latham, A.J.*, Ellis, C., Chan, L.C. & Braddon-Mitchell, D. (2017), ‘The Validation of Consciousness Meters: The Idiosyncratic and Intransitive Sequence of Conscious Levels’, Journal of Consciousness Studies, vol. 24, no. 3-4, pp. 103-111. (SSCI; A&HCI)

Chinese article:

陳樂知（2023），〈導讀：理性哲學家對隱匿的上帝之探問〉，收錄於J. L. Schellenberg，《神的隱匿與人的理性》（陳樂知翻譯/導讀），臺北：臺大出版中心。( Chan, L.C. (2023), 'Introduction: Philosophers' Rational Inquiries into the Hidden Divinity', in Chinese Translation of J. L. Schellenberg's Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, Taipei: National Taiwan University Press. )

Translation:

J. L. Schellenberg（2023），《神的隱匿與人的理性》（陳樂知翻譯/導讀），臺北：臺大出版中心（英國伯明翰大學宗教哲學中心與美國約翰坦伯頓基金「全球宗教哲學翻譯獎助」贊助）。( Chan, L.C. (2023), Chinese Translation of J. L. Schellenberg's Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, Taipei: National Taiwan University Press, sponsored by 'The Global Philosophy of Religion Project Translation Grant', the Birmingham Centre for Philosophy of Religion and the John Templeton Foundation. )