Li Kang
Kang teaches Introduction to Theories of Knowledge and Reality, Buddhist Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, and Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. Her research deals with metaphysics, Buddhist philosophy, and Chinese philosophy.
Li Kang
Associate Professor of Philosophy
- Washington Hall 319
- P: 540-458-8304
- E: lkang@wlu.edu
Program Affiliations
Li Kang joined W&L in 2019. She previously taught at Vassar College. Prof. Kang’s research centers on systematically developing Buddhist and Chinese philosophy to meet the demands of both careful textual scholarship and rigorous philosophical reconstruction. She is also interested in where philosophy intersects with everyday experience: How does it deepen self-knowledge? How does it enrich our relationships with others? How does it shed light on contemporary issues, such as the challenges posed by our development of AI? In answering questions like these, philosophy is not just a collection of theories but an ongoing practice. It shapes how we live with the challenges we face.
Education
- Ph.D. Philosophy, Syracuse University
- M.Phil. Philosophy, University of St Andrews
- B.A. Philosophy, Wuhan University
Research
- Metaphysics
- Buddhist Philosophy
- Chinese Philosophy
- Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Teaching
- Introduction to Theories of Knowledge and Reality
- Classical Chinese Philosophy
- Metaphysics: Existence and Reality
- Buddhist Philosophy
- An Investigation of Self
- ChatGPT and Philosophy
Selected Publications
- “The Relative Identity of All Objects: Tiantai Buddhism Meets Analytic Metaphysics”, Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 11: 44, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.6921
- “How It All Depends: A Contemporary Reconstruction of Huayan Buddhism”, The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Philosophy, edited by Justin Tiwald, Oxford University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199945498.013.0029
- “From Emptiness to Interconnectedness: Identity and Dependence in Chinese Buddhism”, Philosophy Compass, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.70024