Professor of Philosophy

Courses Taught
Educational Background

B.A., University of California, Irvine
Ph.D., University of Southern California

 

Get to Know Prof. Yim

If you could design a new course to put in your teaching rotation, what would it be?

I’d teach a course on how the concepts of “self” and “autonomy” have evolved through different eras of Philosophy. For example, these are treated quite differently, say, in ancient Stoicism versus the Enlightenment, and these differences in treatment help us understand human behavior historically but also right now.

Tell us about a member of your “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) — who’s an earlier Christian whose story inspires, convicts, or challenges you?

Teresa of Ávila was a 16th century mystic who emphasized the role of personal religious experience, examination of conscience, and the practice of spiritual disciplines in the life of the Christian. She was dedicated to reforming the Church and restoring its moral witness.

What’s your favorite place outside the United States to visit? Why do you love being there?

Seoul, South Korea. It’s the city of my birth, and I still have relatives living there. Even though South Korea is very Christian, modern, and “westernized,” these features are inflected through a rich history and culture steeped in Confucianism, Buddhism, and other philosophies that create a unique synthesis of ancient and modern, East and West.

If we asked the people who know you best to describe you, which three adjectives would they be most likely to use?

Irreverent. Skeptical. Hilarious.