The Universe's Storytellers: How Humans Shaped History and Meaning | Yujian Zheng | TEDxShenzhen
Time's relentless march has shaped our world, but it was humanity's emergence that gave birth to what we call "history" - a narrative preserved through text, imagery, and countless other mediums. In this chronicle of our past, human experience takes center stage, weaving together the rise and fall of empires, the transformation of civilizations, and the evolution of individual lives, all deeply intertwined with culture itself.Yet beyond our earthly narratives lies a greater mystery - the cosmic origins and ultimate fate of life. These profound questions touch upon our deepest existential inquiries: Where do we come from? Where are we going? How do we define our place in the universe?In this thought-provoking talk, philosophy scholar Professor Zheng Yujian bridges literature, science, and philosophy to challenge our understanding of cosmic evolution and our role within this grand narrative. Join us as we explore the philosophical dimensions of our existence and the connections between human history and the universal story of life. Zheng Yujian, Professor of Philosophy
Zheng Yujian is the founding member of the Department of Philosophy at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and a Distinguished Professor at the Department of Philosophy of Shenzhen University. His research areas involve normative issues under naturalism, as well as evolutionary theory, rational choice theory, causal modes, and the integration/comparison of Chinese philosophy, European philosophy, and analytic philosophy. He has published nearly 60 academic works in both Chinese and English. Notable contributions include: • His 2001 paper "On Dynamic Choice" in Philosophical Studies (an internationally renowned philosophy journal); • The 2016 article "The Swampman Puzzle: [Subtitle]" in Philosophical Research (China's premier philosophy journal); • The 2017 Journal of Rationality Studies Best Paper Award-winning work "Resolving the Paradox of Irrationality"; • The 2019 monograph Normativeness: A Framework for Practical Reasoning (Renmin University Press); • The Chinese translation of European Awakening (The Commercial Press, 2019; original German edition 1990). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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