Alfredo Pimentel Co (; born on November 30, 1949) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

Sinologist and philosopher.
.''The Philosopher: Alfredo P. Co, PhD'' October 2, 2016. He is the only contemporary Asian people , Asian scholar to deliver a plenary lecture at the COMIUCAP conference, in 2008.Spirituality of Buddhism
. ''Institute of Spirituality in Asia'' May 3, 2012.

Early years and education

In 1967, Co was named "Outstanding Chinese Youth in the Philippines" by the Republic of China during his sophomore year in high school in Naga City. Co graduated with a philosophy degree at the Faculty of Arts and Letters at the

Pontifical A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

and Royal

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

in 1972 and earned a master's degree in 1974. He also earned a doctorate degree in 1976 at the same university.Philo prof receives first 'festschrift'
. ''The Varsitarian Website'' May 3, 2012.

Career

Co holds two post-doctorates and two fellowships abroad. He was a Special Scholar of the "Soka University" to the International Asian Studies Program of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...

for his Post Doctorate on Chinese Classical Philosophy from 1977 to 1978. He took classes in French at the Universite de Poitiers, Technical French at Universite de Bordeaux, and Comparative Philosophy at the

Paris Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universit ...

as a French Government Scholar from 1979-1981. He wrote a dissertation in French entitled: ''La notion de Yi chez Kong Zi et la concepcion de la liberte chez Jean-Jacques Rousseau: La Politique du devoir et la politique du droit'' (The Notion of Yi in Confucius and the Concept of Liberty in Jean-Jacques Rosseau: The Politics of Duty and the Politics of Liberty). He was also Special Fellow of the Pacific Cultural Foundation of Taiwan and a Special Fellow of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research (India). He has been invited as visiting professor in

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

, De la Salle University, and University of San Carlos.The First Asian Philosopher
.''The COMIUCAP Website'' May 6, 2012. He founded the Philosophy Circle of the Philippines in 1972, and at present, he is the incumbent president of the Philippine Academy of Philosophical Research and the Editor of Karunungan – A Journal of Philosophy. He is also a member of the Federation Internationale des Societies de Philosophie based in Fribourg, Switzerland, the Asian Association of the Catholic Philosophers, and Vice President for Asia of the Conférence Mondiale des Institutions Universitaires Catholiques de Philosophie.
.''Co of Philosophy conferred the title “Professor Emeritus”'' March 9, 2017.
. ''Professor Emeritus Co of Philosophy elected COMIUCAP VP for Asia'' September 3, 2018. Co is also consultant to CULTURE and Quest, a publication of the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every year, ...

, India; UNITAS, UNITAS journal of the U.S.T.; and BUDHI, a journal of Ateneo de Manila. He is currently a chair of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) Technical Committee for Philosophy and a full Professor of Philosophy in U.S.T. In 2008, along with Franck Budenholzer, Juan Luis Scannone, and Jean-Luc Marion, Co was the first and only Asian scholar to date to deliver a plenary lecture at any COMIUCAP conference. In 2017, Co was conferred the title Professor Emeritus by the University of Santo Tomas. The title is conferred to faculty members who have reached retirement but highly distinguished due to excellence in teaching, research, or extension services. This distinction was conferred due to local and international recognitions, publications, and university commendations. As Professor Emeritus, Co continues to teach at the University of Santo Tomas both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Bibliography

* ''Across the Ancient Philosophical World'' (2015) * ''La Philosophie Comparee : Sur la politique l‘humour, et la transcendance'' (2009) * ''Ethics and Philosophy of the Human Person'' (2009) * ''Issues in Eastern Philosophy, Arts, and Culture'' (2009) * ''5 Comparative Philosophy and Postmodern Thoughts'' (2009) * ''Doing philosophy in the Philippines and other essays'' (2009) * ''Two Filipino Thomasian Philosophers on Postmodernism'' (2004) * ''Under the Bo Tree, On the Lotus Flower'' (2003) * ''The Blooming of a Hundred Flowers'' (1992)

Festschrift

In 2010 he was awarded with an eight-volume ''

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' by the

to honor him for his distinguished and outstanding achievements in the field of Philosophy. The Festschrift that contains collection of his writings and celebratory essays by colleagues and former students is considered a milestone in the history of philosophy in the Philippines.Professor Doctor Alfredo Co
Pontificia Universita Urbiniana official website ''accessed June 20, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Co, Alfredo Filipino sinologists Filipino philosophers Filipino non-fiction writers Filipino people of Chinese descent University of Santo Tomas alumni 20th-century Filipino philosophers 21st-century philosophers 1949 births Living people Academic staff of the University of Santo Tomas Bicolano people