The Useless Tree

Ancient Chinese Thought in Modern Life

Latest Posts

  • Haleigh Poutre: The Virtue of Time

        Surprising news this morning: Haleigh Poutre’s medical condition has improved some.  She can now reportedly breath on her own, without a respirator (if you cannot link to this Boston Globe piece, here is another report).  This removes one… Continue reading

  • Waving the Confucian Flag to Defeat the Confucian Flag

        HK Dave, over at Simon’s World, links to this IHT story on how China is encouraging the study of Chinese language and culture at "Confucian Institutes" around to world in an effort to bolster its "soft power."  … Continue reading

  • US Supreme Court Supports Confucian View of Assisted Suicide

        And you thought it was all about the regulatory power of the federal government versus the state of Oregon’s right to manage the affairs of its citizens.  But the US Supreme Court’s support for Oregon’s assisted suicide law… Continue reading

  • Haleigh Poutre: Right Reasoning, Possibly Wrong Outcome

        The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has handed down a decision in the case of Haleigh Poutre, the 11 year-old girl beaten into a vegetative state by her step-parents.  As I have argued before, I believe that Haleigh… Continue reading

  • Panlong is Dongzhou

       I was wrong.  I thought the New Year’s holiday would mean fewer public protests and demonstrations.  But I just learned of the violence in Panlong, a village in Guangdong province near the city of Zhongshan, in which local people… Continue reading

  • So, tell me again how Confucianism and Daoism influence consumption in today’s PRC…

        Three stories, and some pictures, from today’s China Daily are a reminder of just how alien Confucianism and Taoism are in contemporary China (and just about everywhere else for that matter): 1.  Here’s a thought: "artificial beauty"  … Continue reading

  • Pieces of Tao

       When I passages like this one from Chuang Tzu, I realize how far away from an ideal Taoist I am: This life we’re given comes in its own season, and then follows its vanishing away.  If you’re at ease… Continue reading

  • Friday I Ching Blogging: Bird Flu

        With the continuing problem of bird flu in Asia, especially China, and the recent news of several deaths in Turkey, I thought I should consult the oracle on the progression of this illness.  I asked a very general… Continue reading

  • Feel the Taoism

        This is just too good.  Via Danwei, and Shanghaiist, comes a press release from a US advertising firm, JWT, entitled: “Twelve Facts About the Confucian Consumer”.   The funniest is number 2: 2. In China, “fresh” means “alive.” Daoism… Continue reading

  • Lao Tzu as Barbie

        Here’s a depressing story in China Daily: Just as housing and cars drive today’s consumption in China, the cultural industry including cultural and entertainment products and services will be an engine of economic growth, a top Beijing-based think-tank… Continue reading

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