Latest Posts
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Taoism in Everyday Life, Redux
Every so often mundane little sayings strike me as expressions of some stray Taoist idea. I chanced upon one today, as I looked into my empty mailbox: No news is good news Sounds like something Chuang Tzu… Continue reading
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Should A Child Who Commits A Terrible Crime Be Tried As An Adult?
This question arises both from my own recent research (for the book I am trying to write!) and from an op-ed in today’s Boston Globe. There was a terrible murder in an affluent suburban school. A 16-year old, with… Continue reading
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Hong Kong Can Be A Tough Place For A Kid
That is, at least, what editors at People’s Daily seem to want us to believe. This is from a story, "Don’t Be Obsessive, Parents Told," they picked up from China Daily (I couldn’t get the CD link): …the… Continue reading
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Tuesday I Ching Blogging: Another President Clinton?
Eleven months ago I consulted the I Ching about Hillary Clinton’s presidential prospects. The oracle came back with what I took to be a cautious response. I thought the time was ripe, and the political context sufficiently different,… Continue reading
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China: No Longer a Legalist Society
A recent news story reminds us of the essential Legalism – of the Han Fei Tzu lineage – that lies at the heart of the PRC government. But it also shows us how China is no longer a… Continue reading
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Modern Love: Another Taoist Parent
I have blogged before on Taoist parenting and I have found a new example. Although she may not intend to be, Suzanna Paola, writing today’s NYT "Modern Love" column, comes pretty close to being a Taoist parent. … Continue reading
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More on Stem Cells and Taoism
I have written before on the debate in the US about stem cell research. I want to return to the topic today by way of a critique of an op-ed in today’s NYT, "A Middle Ground for Stem… Continue reading
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Sun Tzu on Counterinsurgency
As I mentioned last week, I am teaching a Winter Study course on Sun Tzu. One of today’s readings, suggested by one of my students, is a great example of how ancient thought can still have something to… Continue reading
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Confucian Pragmatism
A nice little piece in tomorrow’s Seoul Times (because today is tomorrow in Korea!), by Taru Taylor, considers the modern utility of Confucianism (hat tip: Western Confucian): Confucianism is much misunderstood. The United Nations, for example, classifies it… Continue reading
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Confucius as Prison Warden
The Venerable Sage keeps popping up in the strangest places: Prisoners in central China’s Hubei province have built a sculpture of Confucius, the famous ancient Chinese philosopher, and prison authorities say it can inspire and educate inmates….. ……… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 