Jay Goulding

Jay Goulding specializes in the philosophies of ancient and contemporary China and Japan including Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Shinto. He is interested in how these ancient philosophies manifest through popular culture today by way of the media of films and animation. The hermeneutic quest for truth alongside the phenomenological bracketing of specific life-worlds act as guiding philosophical groundings for exploring the portal between ancient and contemporary societies and between “Eastern” and “Western” cultures. He concentrates particularly on the contributions that Laozi and Zhuangzi make for the East and Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty make for the West.

Representative Publications

Forthcoming  “Heidegger’s Daoist Phenomenology,” 47-101 in Daoist Resonances in Heidegger: Exploring A Forgotten Debt, edited by David Chai and the first book solely devoted to Heidegger and Daoism. London: Bloomsbury Academic (27,000 words).

2021  “Cheng and Gadamer: Daoist Phenomenology,” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 48, no. 4: 368–382. Edited by Chung-ying Cheng, Linyu Gu, and Andrew Fuyarchuk, special Festschrift for Chung-ying Cheng and Hans-Georg Gadamer. Invited by the editors “in recognition of prominence in hermeneutics and philosophy”

2019  “Japan-West Interculture: Time’s Step Back—Dōgen, Watsuji, Kuki and Heidegger,” Japan’s World and the World’s Japan: Images, Perceptions, and Reactions. Proceedings of the 31st Japan Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference, hosted by Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research at the University of Alberta in collaboration with the University of Calgary Edmonton, eds. Aya Fujiwara and James White, pp. 1–26.

2017  “Rooted Cosmopolitanism and Chinese Body Phenomenology” pp. 100-116 in Mauro Buccheri (ed.) Cosmopolitanism and Humanism Toronto: Founders College and The Mariano A. Elia Chair in Italian-Canadian Studies, Dec.

2016  “Chūshingura’s [忠臣藏] Innovation: From Kaishaku [介錯] (Execution) to Kaishakugaku [解釋學] (Hermeneutics),” (10,000 words) JSAC: Japan Studies Association of Canada, Jim Tiessen (ed.) special issue on the 27th Annual Conference, Designing Japan: Innovation in a post-growth society, vol. 2014: 8-18 https://journals.library.ryerson.ca/index.php/jsac

2015.  “The Forgotten Frankfurt School: Richard Wilhelm’s China Institute,” Journal of Chinese Philosophy edited by Cheng Chung-ying, Linyu Gu, and Tim Connolly, special celebratory 40th Anniversary volume entitled “Chinese Philosophy as World Philosophy: Humanity and Creativity (III)” 41(1-2): 170–186.

Goulding, Jay, ed. 2008. China-West Interculture, Toward the Philosophy of World Integration: Essays on Wu Kuang-ming’s Thinking for The Association of Chinese Philosophers in America (ACPA) Series on Chinese and Comparative Philosophy. New York: Global Scholarly Publications, 336 pgs.

2008. “Cheng Chung-ying’s Onto-cosmology: Chinese Philosophy and Hermeneutic Phenomenology.” In The Imperative of Understanding: Chinese Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, and Onto-Hermeneutics: A Tribute Volume Dedicated to Professor Chung-ying Cheng, edited by Ng On-cho, 135-155. New York: Global Scholarly Publications.

2007. “New Ways Toward Sino-Western Philosophical Dialogues.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy edited by Lauren Pfister, special issue on “Contemporary Chinese Hermeneutic Philosophy” 34(1): 99-125.

2004. “Xiong Wei: Chinese Philosophy and Hermeneutic Phenomenology.” Gate of Philosophy 哲學門, Beijing University’s Journal of Philosophy special 90th anniversary of the Department of Philosophy 5: 116-130.

Media features and links:

2 March 2016. “Ancient Philosophy: Taoist” interview with Jay Goulding. Fairchild TV Media Focus, Producer Steven So

2 March 2016. “Daoist Phenomenology: Heidegger’s Chinese Students.” Fairchild TV Media Focus, Producer Steven So

Bata Shoe Museum Asian Heritage Month Lecture in February 2007