Ongoing Projects
History of Political Thought; Democratic Theory; Traditions of Pluralism; Multiculturalism; AI Ethics and Governance, etc.
(An academic work habit experiment in “slow motion multitasking” in 2025 annus mirabilis.)
Work Habits: How to Unleash Your Creativity
Drawing inspiration from Tim Harford’s “Slow-Motion Multitasking.”
Philosophical System-Building Project - Version January 2025 Archived
This series presents a structured exploration of my evolving philosophical ideas, serving as both a personal journey and a platform for broader dialogue.
I aim to build a cohesive system that engages with key themes in philosophy, bridging ancient wisdom and contemporary thought. My website will share reflections, essays, and ongoing projects, inviting readers to participate in discussions.
Also, I seek to create a space for the reinterpretation of new and old ideas, where contemporary challenges can be critically examined within a broader philosophical framework.
𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. - 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦
Ongoing Projects
My recent projects consist of these parts:
Artificial Intelligence Project: Investigating AI ethics, governance, and alignment to address regulatory, philosophical, and constitutional challenges.
Rousseau Project: Exploring the theory and history of political thought.
World Order Project: Envisioning a new, evolving equilibrium in an era of geopolitical power shifts and VCUA.
Multiculturalism Project: Examining ethnicity, nationalism, global citizenship, and migration within political philosophy, focusing on Canadian policies.
Philosophy Project: Engaging in pure philosophical inquiry.
Public Policy and Practicality Project: Responding to real-world societal issues.
Artificial Intelligence Project
AI Ethics & Governance: My research focuses on regulatory frameworks, ethical and meta-ethical issues (the applicability of normative concepts, AI system responsibilities, and moral status), and constitutional questions (the adaptation of constitutional principles to AI and potential revisions). The rapid proliferation of AI has prompted urgent calls for regulation. However, the conceptual and practical foundations of such frameworks remain highly unstable. My work seeks to explore the ethical, legal, and policy challenges posed by AI’s evolution.
We stand at a critical juncture: AI’s exponential growth demands immediate legislative action and global governance models. The message is clear—legislate, govern, and proactively mitigate large-scale AI risks, whether epistemic, ethical, or existential. “Freedom is not the absence of constraints but the mastery of them.” AI safety must not be an afterthought; it is a foundational necessity.
Rousseau Project
This project aims to examine Jean-Jacques Rousseau's conception of the General Will.
Rousseau’s notion of the General Will presents a way in which individual wills—often disparate and conflicting—can be aligned under a singular, General Will, which rises above the competing desires of individuals while still maintaining the rights of individuals within a unified collective identity.
I developed this question through an exploration of the central paradoxes and ambiguities in Rousseau’s idea of the General Will. My study centers on the tension between interpretations of the General Will as a democratic product, emerging from the consensus of citizens, versus a transcendent ideal that reflects the collective good beyond individual preferences. After analyzing Rousseau’s primary texts and relevant scholarly debates, I am trying to find the true intentions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Multiculturalism Project
Research Focus: Investigating issues of Multiculturalism, Nationalism, Global Citizenship, Ethnicity, and Migration within the framework of Political Philosophy.
Objective: In a world where issues of religious, ethnic, and ethnonational diversity remain a major public and political concern, multicultural political philosophy comprises an invaluable source both of moral and practical guidance. Through this approach, I seek to provide fresh insights into the intersections of identity, diversity, and community in a globalized world, exploring how philosophical frameworks can inform and reshape our understanding of multiculturalism, citizenship, social cohesion, and national unity.
World Order Project
Understanding is power. In an era of geopolitical tensions and VCUA (Volatility, Complexity, Uncertainty, Ambiguity), my goal is to develop an epistemological approach that enables a clearer understanding, conceptualization, and advancement of world order.
Statesmen must serve as educators, bridging a nation’s history with its vision and tradition with foresight. My recent work (under review) analyzes global trends and their underlying logic from a neutral and holistic perspective. It envisions a new equilibrium in a post-American world and analyzes the broader strategic responses to the rising tide of multipolarity by examining the shifting balance of power, historical patterns, and the long-term trajectory of human civilization. I also attempt to advance Henry Kissinger’s theory on world order, assessing its potential application in the coming era.
Philosophy Project
Like Wittgenstein, I view philosophy as a unified whole, without dividing it into specialized subfields like epistemology, ontology, ethics, logic, etc. Borrowing Martin Luther's creation, I would say, sola philosophia. Philosophy, in its purest form, should be seen as a singular pursuit, not fragmented into practical or theoretical domains. This means that the focus of my thinking lies in the traditionally most important questions of philosophy. The impact of influential thoughts always has an exceptionally long half-life and is not immediately apparent. Humans are overshadowed and influenced by things far greater than ourselves.
Thus, compared to applied philosophy, I prioritize the pursuit of truth and the inquiry into the essence of things over the immediate applicability of philosophical concepts to societal matters.
Public Policy and Practicality Project
This project aims to collect my reflections on public policy, including editorials, essays, and articles I have authored. These writings are interconnected with real-world societal issues, democratic governance, and policy advocacy.
Compilation of Articles
Inquire. Investigate. Evolve.
Curiosity Sparks Reality.
Copyright © 2023 Simone Zhenting Mao. All rights reserved.
The troops exulting sat in order round,
And beaming fires illumined all the ground.
As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night,
O’er heaven’s pure azure spreads her sacred light,
When not a breath disturbs the deep serene,
And not a cloud o’ercasts the solemn scene,
Around her throne the vivid planets roll,
And stars unnumber’d gild the glowing pole,
O’er the dark trees a yellower verdure shed,
And tip with silver every mountain’s head:
Then shine the vales, the rocks in prospect rise,
A flood of glory bursts from all the skies:
The conscious swains, rejoicing in the sight,
Eye the blue vault, and bless the useful light.
So many flames before proud Ilion blaze,
And lighten glimmering Xanthus with their rays.
The long reflections of the distant fires
Gleam on the walls, and tremble on the spires.
A thousand piles the dusky horrors gild,
And shoot a shady lustre o’er the field.
Full fifty guards each flaming pile attend,
Whose umber’d arms, by fits, thick flashes send,
Loud neigh the coursers o’er their heaps of corn,
And ardent warriors wait the rising morn.