Latest Posts
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Han Feizi on North Korea
North Korea is acting up again. I think the US response thus far has been generally correct. Options are obviously limited and the best way forward, as I have suggested before, might be something like: don't feed the troll. With… Continue reading
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Sonia Sotomayor: Confucian Gentlewoman
Conservative critics of Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, are irrationally fulminating about her. One of their many gripes is that Obama stated that he sought a person who would be able to empathize with the individuals involved in particular… Continue reading
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Confucianism doesn’t make people sheep, Legalism does
Interesting interview this morning on NPR. Jiang Rong is the author of Wolf Totem, a book which seems to open itself to various interpretations. I was taken by this comment of Jiang's from this morning's interview: "Confucianism wants people to… Continue reading
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Uncertainty is not the problem; believing that certainty is possible is the problem
Yesterday Daniel Gilbert argued in the NYT: "What You Don’t Know Makes You Nervous." Here are some key grafs: So if a dearth of dollars isn’t making us miserable, then what is? No one knows. I don’t mean that no… Continue reading
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In the Chinese Philosophy blogosphere
I am behind in all of my work, including keeping up with my buddies who blog on Chinese philosophy. Let me rectify that here. Manyul has a nice post up that asks the question, "scientific research supports Daoist ideas?" in… Continue reading
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Reverse the verdict
As June 4th edges closer, Party authorities in China are clamping down on the internet and information. I suspect Typepad, through which I publish this blog, will soon be blocked in China, too. But the truth will out, as this… Continue reading
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What is Liezi asking of us?
This semester I did an independent study with a student. It was a second class in ancient Chinese philosophy. We read, and she wrote on, Xunzi and Mozi (which I do not include in my usual class or tutorial). Then… Continue reading
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Zhao Ziyang: Humane Leader
A new book on Zhao Ziyang, derived from a series of tape recorded interviews, is a good reminder of what might have been in China. He was the man at the top of the Party hierarchy who stood against violence… Continue reading
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Davids, Goliaths and Sun Tzu
I missed this last week but let me comment on it now. Malcolm Gladwell's piece in The New Yorker, "How David Beats Goliath," has a Sun Tzu tone to it. He basically argues that creativity and effort can overcome material… Continue reading
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Confucians in the New York Times
End of semester business (papers to grade, theses to read, meetings to attend, etc.) has stolen me away from blogging of late. I'll try to catch up as time allows (my last class meets this afternoon!). One of the things… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 