Latest Posts
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Shame
I made something of a fool of myself Saturday. Nothing earth-shaking; rather, it was local and relatively small in the larger scheme of things. But I said something that I regretted and apologized for. I was, simply, ashamed. And when… Continue reading
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It’s not just Laozi who doesn’t like to travel
Andrew Sullivan has quotes from Chesterton and Emerson on the foolishness of travel. Here's Emerson: …He who travels to be amused, or to get somewhat which he does not carry, travels away from himself, and grows old even in youth… Continue reading
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Yu Dan in Britain
Yu Dan, popularizer of Confucianism in China, has hit Britain. Her book on The Analects has been translated into English and has just come out in the UK. Good for her. I think, over all, she does a valuable service… Continue reading
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Mencius: Duty is Internal
As you have probably noticed, I am teaching Mencius this semester. Right now I am reading a batch student papers, most of which are on Mencius (some are on the Analects). In one paper, a student was grappling with the… Continue reading
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Mencius on Torture
Commenter Steve GW asks some good questions in reference to my post below on Sun Tzu's stance against torture (which is basically consequentialist): Are there, in fact, any arguments against torture in Chinese philosophy that aren't basically utilitarian? If there… Continue reading
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Nanjing, Spring 1989
Twenty years ago the PRC was experiencing the largest demonstrations of public dissent in its history. I was then living and teaching in Nanjing and I watched as that city and my students were swept up in the tide of… Continue reading
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That’s What Sun Tzu Said
I noticed this paragraph, in a blog post by Christopher Orr at TNR (HT Sullivan): The humane treatment of surrendered captives, therefore, is a crucial–arguably the crucial–understanding between adversaries if their conflict is to end in any way other than… Continue reading
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Mencius on the web
I've been distracted of late, as the drop off in posting here suggests. A college reunion (first one I have been to in thirty years! Yes, thirty years) took me away this weekend. And work is getting busier, with end… Continue reading
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What is Zhuangzi asking of us?
I'm reading Zhuangzi with my class. Always a pleasure, Zhuangzi. Always a challenge, a joy. The second chapter is one of the most striking expositions of a radical epistemological skepticism that I know (and I admit my knowledge here is… Continue reading
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The Elderly and Confucianism in China
Given the growing number of elderly people in China, and the growing number of old-age homes, a question arises: will the Confucian call to care for parents and the elderly be overwhelmed by the economic and cultural pressures of modernization? … Continue reading
The Useless Tree 