Latest Posts
-
Manny Ramirez, Taoist Sage
You knew I had to do this. The profile of Manny Ramirez, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, in this week’s New Yorker, (hat tip Jeremiah) gives me another chance to point to Taoism in a modern context. … Continue reading
-
No Show Cho
If confronted with the question, should the videos and photos of the Virginia Tech killer be aired publicly, both Confucians and Taoists would say "no." And it may be instructive to work through their responses because they may… Continue reading
-
Confucians at the Ballet
This may seem a bit odd, but, by now, regular readers should be used to my discoveries of Confucian sensibilities in all sorts of places… The other night I was reading some shorter pieces in the… Continue reading
-
Virginia Tech
My deepest sympathies to all those involved in the horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. What can we do, how can we respond, when confronted with such depravity? I heard a Christian preacher on the radio this… Continue reading
-
No Angels
Today, in my Chinese politics class, we discussed the book, Will the Boat Sink the Water?, by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. It is a bracing description (it describes more than it explains) of the pervasive corruption in… Continue reading
-
Taoists in the Jungle
It’s been a great week in my ancient Chinese philosophy tutorial, sitting around with students talking about Chuang Tzu: what he might have meant in the Inner Chapters and what those chapters might mean in our times. Since… Continue reading
-
Un-Confucian abuses of Confucius
I picked up this story from Virtual China, which picked it up from Roland. It is about a Chinese fellow who re-posted a story on a web site (the story had already been posted elsewhere on the web;… Continue reading
-
Kurt Vonnegut, Taoist Sage
Yes, I am one of those insufferable late-boomers who, when flopping about in high school, found fun and meaning and insight in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut, who died yesterday. I am sure there will be many "counter-cultural"… Continue reading
-
The Father
I don’t usually descend into the most tawdry of popular cultural media events (at least I don’t think I do…) but I just want to register here my dismay and disgust in regard to the sordid haggling over… Continue reading
-
Confucianism in Everyday Life
I guess I have to comment on this article in yesterday’s China Daily: Filial piety plays a part in promotions Updated: 2007-04-09 06:43 Want a promotion? How about being nice to mom and dad? Administrative skills alone are… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 