Antong Liu

Antong Liu is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science. Before coming to Duke, he studied at Peking University and received his bachelor degree in International Politics and Sociology. Interested in the ethics of political participation for modern citizens in an imperfect world, he specializes in normative political theory and focuses on the history of political philosophy. Born and raised in Beijing and studying Western political thought in Durham, Antong appreciates cross-cultural dialogue and devotes to it by reading Western political thought from his unique perspective. His dissertation reinterprets the works of three key thinkers of the 18th century, Rousseau, Smith, and Kant. This reinterpretation serves to show how the sense of honor, which is no longer popular in the Western world but remains highly respected in many non-Western societies, could have been a valuable moral incentive for modern citizens living in Western societies to not only stand up to injustice and disrespect but also refrain from themselves becoming unjust and disrespectful.