Latest Posts
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Do as I Say, Not as They Do
Chinese President Hu Jintao says more money needs to be spent on education because that is how to "foster a highly ethical nation." In a brief article in today’s People’s Daily, he pushes the "Eight Honors and Disgraces,"… Continue reading
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Lee Hsien Loong’s Lack of Integrity
A good piece in today’s Asia Times on the Singaporean ruling party, PAP, and its inability to follow through on its promises to engender a more open and creative society in the city-state. The PAP’s overwrought political fear… Continue reading
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Do We Need Viagra in the Afterlife?
Here’s a great story from China Daily, that raises a deep philosophical question: China bans tomb-sweepers’ "vulgar" burned offerings (Reuters) Updated: 2006-04-25 21:25 China has banned its citizens from burning paper models of condoms, luxury villas and karaoke… Continue reading
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Mike Mussina: Almost a Taoist Sage
Can’t resist commenting on this story: Mussina Finds Out That Less Can Be More. When I saw the headline this morning I thought, great, another example of an accomplished sportsman following Way. But not quite. Mike… Continue reading
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Chuang Tzu in Everyday Life
Harriet McBryde Johnson writes the "Lives" column in yesterday’s NYT Magazine. She is disabled and has written about her life extensively. Her encounters with philosopher Peter Singer, who takes a rather dim utilitarian view of disability, are bracing. … Continue reading
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Singapore Politics: It’s Not About the “Asian” or “Confucian” Values, Its About the Repression and Corruption
It’s election time in Singapore again and, just as the night follows the day, the ruling party, the aptly acronymed PAP, is unjustly and corruptly undermining the opposition and, more generally, democracy. What happens – and… Continue reading
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Why Ritual Matters: Bush disses Hu
For Confucius, Ritual is the thoughtful and precise performance of personal and ethical commitment. It is not enough to say that you care about a relationship, or that it is important to you, you must demonstrate that care… Continue reading
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Why Kill Moussaoui?
This morning I heard the family members of some of the victims of 9/11 testify against, in a oblique sort of way, the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. Outside the courthouse, one woman pointed out that, while some… Continue reading
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Hu Jintao and Sun Tzu
Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao apparently plans to give President Bush a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War when they meet tomorrow. There are various interpretations of what this might mean. Does it suggest a… Continue reading
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One Month
Yesterday was a nice day: the sun was warm, warmer than usual for April in the Berkshires; the promise of Spring was everywhere. It was the kind of day where happiness was close at hand. Yet in the… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 