Director,
Center for Ethics of
Science and Technology
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn
University.
Department
of Philosophy
Faculty of Arts
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok
10330, THAILAND
Tel. +66 (0) 2218-4756; Fax. +66 (0) 2218-4755
Last updated on September 27, 2007.
Personal web page:
http://homepage.mac.com/soraj/web/soraj.html
Educational Background
1991 Ph.D. (philosophy), Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Ph. D. Dissertation: "Imagination in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason."
Thesis adviser: Frederick Beiser.
1986 M.A. (philosophy), Indiana University.
1983 B.A. (First Class Honors) English, Chulalongkorn University.
Areas of Specialization
epistemology, modern Western philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of culture, science in culture
Areas of Interests
Buddhism, philosophy and literature, philosophy of language
Teaching Experiences
Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Logic, Symbolic Logic, Seminar in Epistemology, Critical Reasoning, Philosophy and Literature, German Philosophy, Science in Culture and Society
Administrative Experiences
2004- Editor, Faculty Senate Gazette
2002-2003 Editor, Faculty Senate Gazette
2001- Member, Board of the Faculty of Arts
2001-2002 Chair, Faculty Senate Academic Committee
1998- Member, Chulalongkorn University Faculty Senate
1997-1999 Member, Board of the Faculty of Arts
Conference Organization
Organizer, The Third Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference, Chulalongkorn University, November 2-4, 2007
Organizer: The Eighth Asian Bioethics Conference, Chulalongkorn University, March 19-23, 2007.
Organizer: The Second Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference, Chulalongkorn University, January 7-9, 2005.
Organizer: International Conference on Information Technology and Universities in Asia (ITUA 2002), Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, April 3-5, 2002. (http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~hsoraj/IT/).
Research Grants
2007
Grant
for organizing the
Asia-Europe Workshop on Technology and Culture, provided by the
International Institute of Asian Studies and the Asia-Europe
Foundation.
2007
Grant
for organizing the 8th
Asian Bioethics Conference, funded by the Wellcome Trust, UK.
2007
Grant
for organizing the 3rd
Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference, granted by the
Commission on Higher Education.
2006-2009
“Privacy
in Information Technology and Biotechnology,” funded by the
Thailand Research Fund
2007
Project
on Development of Retirement Index for Government Workers, funded by
the National Economic and Social
Advisory Board of Thailand.
2005-2008
Local
Societies Initiative grant, for the Thousand
Stars Buddhism and Science Group. The grant is administered by
the Local Societies
Initiative, Metanexus Institute, with the objective of promoting
dialogs on science and religion.
2006-2007
Project
on Development of
Teaching Program for the Development of Quality of Life of the Thai
Elderly, funded by the National Economic and Social Advisory
Council, Thailand.
2006-2007
The
Role of the Universities in Information Technology Development in
Asia, funded by the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, in cooperation with
the Center for Internet Studies, University of Washington, Seattle,
and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University.
More details.
2004-2006
"ASEAN-EU
LEMLIFE", Project for development of a curriculum on
bioethics, funded through the Asean-EU University Network Programme,
the European Commission.
2003-2006
"Ethics
of the Global Digital Divide", funded by the Thailand
Research Fund
2003-2006
Co-ordinator
for the Project on "Science in Thai Culture and Society",
funded by the National Research
Council of Thailand.
2002
DAAD
Fellowship for a research stay at Otto-Friedrich-Universität
Bamberg, April 17 to June 17, 2002.
2001-2003
"Desirable
Thai Labor Skills in the Future", funded by the Thailand
Research Fund.
2001-2003
"Computer-mediated
Communication and Thai Culture: A Philosophical Exploration",
funded by the Thailand Research Fund.
2001-2002
"Chulalongkorn
University and the Society", funded by Research Division,
Chulalongkorn University.
1998-2000
"Science
in Thai Culture", funded by the Thailand Research Fund.
1998-1999
"Critical
Thinking and Thai Culture", funded by the Silver Jubilee Fund,
Chulalongkorn University
1998
"Science
Education for the Next Century", funded by the Thailand Research
Fund.
1996-1997
"Directions
for Philosophy in Thailand", funded by the National Research
Council of Thailand.
Publications
Books
Shantideva. A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. Translated from an edition by Alan Wallace and Vesna B. Wallace by Soraj Hongladarom. Bangkok: The Thousand Stars Press, 2007 (in Thai).
Editor. Death and Dying: Perspectives from Science and Religion. Bangkok: The Thousand Stars Press, 2005 (in Thai).
Editor. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology and Universities in Asia (ITUA 2002). Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Press. Forthcoming.
Science in Thai Society and Culture. Bangkok: Institute for Academic Development, 2002 (in Thai).
Symbolic Logic. Bangkok: Project for Dissemination of Academic Works, Faculty of Arts, 2001 (in Thai).
Editor (with Charles Ess). Information Technology Ethics: Cultural Perspectives. Hershey, PA: Idea-Group, 2007.
Editor. Computing and Philosophy in Asia: Selected Papers from the Second Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference, Cambridge Scholar Press, 2007.
Research Monograph
"Horizon of Philosophy: Knowledge, Philosophy and Thai Society." Monograph of research funded by the National Research Council of Thailand. 1998.
Articles and Book Chapters
Privacy, Contingency, Identity and the Group. Forthcoming from Handbook of Research on Technoethics, R. Luppicini Ed. IGI Publishing.
Can Knowledge be Owned and Commodified? Forthcoming from Rethinking ‘Intellectual Property’: Towards a Critical Ecology of Creative Use Rights, Cushla Kapitzke Ed. Sense Publishers.
Searle and Buddhism on the Mind and the Non-Self. Forthcoming from a volume on Searle and Chinese Philosophy, Bo Mou ed.
Eighth Asian Bioethics Conference. Personalized Medicine 4.3(2007): 373-377.
Global Digital Divide, Global Justice, Cultures and Epistemology. In Information Technology and Social Justice. Emma Rooksby and John Weckert Eds. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing, 2007: 93-110.
Information Divide, Information Flow and Global Justice. International Review of Information Ethics 7(2007). Available at http://www.i-r-i-e.net/inhalt/007/08-hongladarom.pdf .
Love in the Age of High Technology: How are Metta and Karuna Possible? Prajna Vihara: Journal of Philosophy and Religion 7.2(2006): 141-156.
Ethics of Bioinformatics: A Convergence between Bioethics and Computer Ethics. Asian Biotechnology and Development Review 9.1(2006): 37-44.
The Asian Information Society and the Aims of Education. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics 9.1(2005): 151-162.
Categories and Logical Forms in Kant’s Metaphysical Deduction. MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities 8.1(2005): 22-37.
Introduction: the ASEAN-EU LEMLIFE Project. Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics. 14.6(November 2004): 193-194.
Asian Bioethics Revisited: What Is It?, and Is There Such a Thing? Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics. 14.6(November 2004): 194-197.
Human Cloning in a Thai Novel: Wimon Sainimnuan's Amata and Thai Cultural Attitudes Toward Biotechnology. In Margaret Sleebook, ed. Genomics in Asia: A Clash of Bioethical Interests?. London: Kegan Paul, 2004: 85-106.
Cultures and Global Justice, in Warayuth Srivorakuel et al eds., Cultural Traditions and Contemporary Challenges in Southeast Asia: Hindu and Buddhist. Washington, DC: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2005: 313-326.
Categories and Logical Forms in Kant's Metaphysical Deduction. MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities. 8.1(March 2005): 22-37.
"Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: A Buddhist Perspective", Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: Controversies and Solutions, John Weckert ed. Hershey, PA: Idea Group, 2005: 208-226..
"Time, Technology and Globalization". [with Mike Kelly]. Journal of Philosophy in the Contemporary World. 11.2(2004): 55-62.
"Turning Digital Divide into Digital Dividend: Anticipating Thailand's Demographic Dividend" [with Achara Entz]. In Kua Wongbunsin, ed. Six Last Golden Years of Economic Competitiveness: Results of Demographic Change. Bangkok: Thailand Research Fund, 2004, pp. 135-146. [in Thai].
Making Information Transparent as a Means to Close the Global Digital Divide". Minds and Machines 14.1(February 2004): 85-99."
"Exploring the Philosophical Terrain of the Digital Divide." to appear in Computers and Philosophy 2003: Selected Papers from the Computers and Philosophy (CAP) Conference, The Australian National University, 31 October to 2 November, 2003. J. Weckert and Y. Al-Saggaf, Eds. Volume 37 in the Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology Series. Sydney: Australian Computer Society, 2003: 85-90.
Looking Forward: Overcoming the Genetic Divide through Information Technology" Biotechnology and Development Monitor 50 (March 2003): 44.
"Politeness in Thai Computer-mediated Communication" [with Krisadawan Hongladarom]. Forthcoming from a volume on Linguistic Politeness, edited by Robin Lakoff and Sachiko Ide.
"Growing Science in Thai Soil: Culture and Development of Scientific and Technological Capabilities in Thailand". Science, Technology and Society.9.1(2004): 51-73.
"The Web of Time and the Dilemma of Globalization. " The Information Society 18(2002): 241-249.
"Cross-cultural Epistemic Practices. " Social Epistemology 16.1(2002): 83-92.
"Globalization, Bioethics and the Cultures of Developing World". Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 12.3(2002): 103-105.
"Hope in the Information Society". In Hopefully Yours: Interdisciplinary Essays on Hope from Scientific and Religious Perspectives. Pune: Jnanam, 2002.
"Kulturelle Differenz als kulturelles Konstrukt". In Reinhard Düssel, Geert Edel und Ulrich Schödlbauer, hrsg., Die Macht der Differenzen. Heidelberg: Synchron, 2001: 71-79.
"Cultures and Global Justice". Polylog: Forum for Intercultural Philosophizing. 2(2001): 1-34. Available at http://www.polylog.org/them/2/fcs2-en.htm.
"Democracy and Culture in Thailand" Humanitas Asiatica. 1.1(December 2000): 47-67.
"Humanistic Learning and the Medical Curriculum." Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. (83.8): 969-974 (with Sukhit Phaosawasdi, Surasak Taneepanichskul, Yuen Tannirandorn, Henry Wilde, and Chumsak Pruksapong).
"Negotiating the Global and the Local: How Thai Culture Co-opts the Internet" First Monday, 5(8) 2000. Available at http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_8/hongladarom/index.html.
"A Tune Beyond Us, Yet Ourselves: A Note on Wallace Stevens' The Man With the Blue Guitar." Thoughts (December 1999): 64-71.
"Medical Ethics in the Changing Cultural Milieu or Thai Society." Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand 82.11(November 1999): 1174-1180.
"Global Culture, Local Cultures, and the Internet: the Thai Example." AI & Society 13(1999): 389-401. Also published in Charles Ess and Fay Sudweeks, eds., Culture, Technology, Communication: Towards an Intercultural Global Village. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2001: 307-324.
"Review of Wendy Griswold, Cultures and Societies in the Changing World." AI & Society 13(1999): 450-451.
"Review of Ray Billington, Understanding Eastern Philosophy." Philosophy in Review. 19.1(February 1999): 3-4.
"Buddhism and Human Rights in the Thoughts of Sulak Sivaraksa and Phra Dhammapidok (Prayudh Prayutto)." In Damien V. Keown, Charles S. Prebish, and Wayne R. Husted eds. Buddhism and Human Rights. Curzon Press, 1998: 97-109.
"On the Internet and Cultural Differences." APA Newsletters on Computer and Philosophy. Jon Darbolo ed. 97.2 (Spring 1998): 46-48.
"Humanistic Education in Today's and Tomorrow's World." Manusya: Journal of Humanities 1.1(March 1998): 47-58.
"Review of Josef Niznik and John T. Sanders, eds., Debate on the Status of Philosophy." Philosophy in Review. 15.4(August 1997): 271-272.
"Buddhism and the Solution of Philosophical Problems." Journal of Buddhist Studies. 4.1(1996): 71-87 (in Thai).
"Global Media and Democracy: A Reply to Gwynne Dyer." Dianoia: A Liberal Arts Interdisciplinary Journal. 5.1(Spring 1996): 1-8.
"Postmodernism in Thai Poetry." Asian Review 1994. Vol. 8: 21-40.
"Artistic Creation and Scientific Investigation." Chula Research 16.9(1997): 8-9 (in Thai).
"Reflections on Literature and Philosohy upon Reading Saksiri Meesomsueb's Mue Nan Si Khao. " Journal of Thai Language and Literature. 10.2(1993): 1-15 (in Thai).
"Language, Meaning and Truth. " Journal of Thai Language and Literature. 9.1(1992): 1-21 (in Thai).
"Philosophical Problems Concerning Color. " Journal of the Faculty of Arts. 24.1(1992): 95-106 (in Thai).
Presented at Meetings
Metaphysics of Change and Continuity: Exactly what is changing and what gets continued?. This paper was prepared for ÒContinuity + Change: Perspectives on Science and ReligionÓ, June 3-7, 2006, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, a program of the Metanexus Institute
The Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference, presentation at Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, Feb. 8-9, 2006.
Capacity Building in Research Ethics: Experiences from Thailand, presentation at the International Conference on Research and Health Ethics, Jakarta, Indonesia, 28 November to 2 December 2005, organized by the WHO and the NIH and University of Bergen
The ASEAN-EU LEMLIFE Project: Introduction, Best Practices and Lessons Learned. Presented at the AUNP Grant HoldersÕ Meeting, University of the Philippines, Diliman, August 25-26, 2005.
Transforming Universities: University-Industry Partnerships and Governance of Higher Education Institutions in the ASEAN region. Presented at the AUNP Roundtable Meeting on Regional Cooperation in a Globalizing World, UP Diliman, August 29-31, 2005.
Bioethics and Interdisciplinarity. Presented at the First Bangkok Bioethics Roundtable, September 11-15, 2005, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Digital Divide, Epistemology and Global Justice, presented at the Second Asia-Pacific Computing and Philosophy Conference (AP-CAP 2005), January 7-9, 2005, Novotel Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Asian Information Society and the Aims of Education, presented at the Ninth International Conference of the Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, Namseoul University, South Korea, August 19-20, 2004.
"Exploring the Philosophical Terrain of the Digital Divide". Presented at the Computing and Philosophy Conference, Australian National University, Canberra, October 31 to November 2, 2003.
"Is there Asian Bioethics?". Presented at the International Symposium - Dialogue and Promotion of Bioethics in Asia, Kyoto, September 20-14, 2003. Here is the full paper.
"Organ Transplantation: A Buddhist Perspective". Presented at the International Symposium - Dialogue and Promotion of Bioethics in Asia, Kyoto, September 20-14, 2003. Here is the full paper.
"Cultural Politics of the Global Digital Divide". Presented at the Third International Convention of Asia Scholars, ICAS3, Singapore, August 19-22, 2003.
"Bangfai Payanak: Science, Belief and Thai Society". Presented at an Internaitonal Workshop on Thailand Today: New Perspectives and Approaches, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, February 18-19, 2003.
"Science, Technology and the Millennium Goals". Presented at an International Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation: Emerging International Policy Issues, Harvard University, September 23-24, 2002. First draft of the paper is "Community-based Science and Third World Development".
"Buddhist Attitude toward Research Ethics". Presented at the International Workshop on Dialogue and Promotion of Bioethics in Asia, Manila Diamond Hotel, The Philippines, 14-16 October, 2002
"The Thai Situation in Bioethics". Presented at the International Workshop on Dialogue and Promotion of Bioethics in Asia, Manila Diamond Hotel, The Philippines, 14-16 October, 2002
"The Internet, Globalization and Local Cultures". Presented at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, June 7, 2002.
"The Internet, Globalization and Local Cultures". Presented at the European Generation of the European Academy of Arts and Science, Kuenstlerhaus, Lenbachplatz, Munich, Germany, June 6, 2002.
"Toward A Buddhist Contribution to the Problem of Clash of Cultures: Religions and Globalization in Thailand". Presetned at the International Colloquium on "Creative Peace through Encounter of World Cultures", Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany, May 4, 2002.
"Human Cloning in a Thai Novel: Wimon Sainimnuanûs Amata and the Thai Cultural Attitude toward Biotechnology. " Paper presented at the International Workshop on Asian Genomics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, March 28-29, 2002.
"Technology, Science, Design and Control. " Paper presented at an international conference on Living with the Genie: Governing Scientific and Technological Transformations of the World in the 21st Century. Columbia University, March 5-7, 2002 (See http://www.livingwiththegenie.org/).
"Time, Nature, Technology and Globalization". Paper presented at the 12th Biannual Conference of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, 9-11, 2001.
"Cultures and Global Justice." Paper presented at the International Conference on Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change at Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand, on May 9-11, 2001.
"Growing Science from Indigenous Source: Science, Globalization and Cultural Identity." Paper presented at the International Conference on Knowledge and East-West Transitions, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India, December 11-14, 2000.
"Science War in Thailand: Clashes Between Traditional and Modernized Belief Systems in the Thai Media." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Social Studies of Science and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, "Worlds in Transition: Technoscience, Citizenship and Culture in the 21st Century", University of Vienna, Austria, September 27-30, 2000.
"Global Network, Local Cultures and Cognitive Evaluation." Paper to be presented at the Annual Computers and Philosophy Conference, CAP 2000, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 10 -12 August 2000.
"Negotiating the Global and the Local: Some Philosophical Reflections on the Role of the Internet in Local Cultures." Paper Presented at the Eighth East-West Philosophers' Conference, Univerisity of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, January 9-21, 2000.
"Politeness in Thai Computer-mediated Communication." Paper Presented at the First International Symposium on Linguistic Politeness, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, December 7-9, 1999.
"Science, Civil Society, and the Preservation of Culture." Paper Presented at the Seventh International Conference on Thai Studies, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 5-9, 1999.
"Global Culture, Local Cultures, and the Internet: the Thai Example." Paper presented at the First International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Toward Technology and Communication. In Charles Ess and Fay Sudweeks eds., Proceedings of the First International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Toward Technology and Communication, Science Museum, London, 1-3 August 1998: 187-201.
"Asian Philosophy and Critical Thinking: Divergence or Convergence?" Paper presented at the Third APPEND Seminar on Philosophy Education for the Next Millennium, May 6-8 1998, Chulalongkorn University.
"Knowledge, Community and Culture: A Preliminary Study of the Epistemological Status of Thai Belief System." Research Conference in Celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University. October 1997.
"Is there Thai Philosophy?" Keynote Address at the Philosophical and Religious Club of Thailand, October 10, 1997.
"Descartes, Rorty and the Future of Philosophy." Annual Meeting of the Philosophical and Religious Club of Thailand, October 25, 1996.
"Critical Thinking and Teaching Philosophy." Conference on Teaching Philosophy, Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani Campus, August 22-23, 1996.
"How is Thai Philosophy Possible?" Paper Presented at the Sixth International Thai Studies Conference, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, October 14-17, 1996. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Thai Studies Theme VII Toward a New Frontier of Thai Studies. (Chiang Mai, Thailand, 14-17 October 1996): 43-52.
"Democracy and Culture: A Case for Thailand." Paper presented at the Seventh East-West Philosophers' Conference, January 9-23 1995, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
"Humanistic Education in Today's and Tomorrow's World." Paper presented at The First Srinakharinwirot University Round Table on the Humanities Agenda, The Humanities in a Braver and Newer World: Future Mission and New Vision, July 17-19, 1995. Mercure Hotel Bangkok.
"Sustainable Development and the Mission of the University." Paper presented at ASAIHL Seminar on Sustainable Development Challenges for the Asia-Pacific Region in the 21st Century, July 6-8 1993, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia, 1993.
"Historical Contingency of the Fact and Value Distinction." Conference on the Humanities: Present Borders and Paths to the Future, Thammasat University, December 1-3 1992 (in Thai).