Latest Posts
-
Tao Te Ching Wordle
I tried out the new Wordle thing. Below is a representation of Lin Yutang’s translation of the Tao Te Ching with one slight change: I deleted the word “therefore,” which Lin apparently used quite a bit but which, in my… Continue reading
-
The Definition of Irony
And while we’re talking about Taoism, can I just mention this line from yesterday’s NYT Sunday Style section, which is referring to “narcissism:” A term that has deep roots in psychoanalytic literature appears to have become a popular descriptor so… Continue reading
-
A Taoist Reading of Chekhov
On Saturday night my summer students and I took in the Williamstown Theater Festival’s production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. It was a very good show. Performances across the board were strong, and the director effectively drew out the discomforting interweave… Continue reading
-
Enough with the Panda, already!
Richard Bernstein, in today’s NYT Week in Review section is a bit late to the Kung Fu Panda critique. I do not often toot my own horn here but I was on this a month ago. And in the meantime… Continue reading
-
Red Star over Purchase
People sometimes ask me how I first became interested in China and Chinese politics. Today, C.W Hayford has a post over at Frog in a Well that provides a significant part of the answer: I read a book when… Continue reading
-
Mencius, Mencius Everywhere
Perhaps it’s just me, but I am constantly noticing Mencian resonances in various current events. Two items thus jumped out of today’s NYT: First, US law-makers over-rode President Bush’s veto of a bill on health care. The bottom… Continue reading
-
Modernization and Family Breakdown in Korea
A couple of days ago I received an email from a blogger at Korea Dispatch, calling my attention to a post, “Korean families in crisis.” It is a sad, and all too common, saga, made the worse by the… Continue reading
-
Sometimes a Panda is just a Panda
I didn’t realize a couple of weeks ago when I saw the anodyne children’s movie Kung Fu Panda that it would create such a stir in China. The controversy, however, is not so much about orientalism, as I had… Continue reading
-
The Value of Human Life
Here’s something that both Taoists and Confucians can agree upon: it is foolhardy, and perhaps stupid, to attempt to determine a monetary value of a human life. This comes to mind today because of this news story: WASHINGTON (AP) —… Continue reading
-
Mencius and Food Stamps
Mencius is very much on my mind these days: I am reading it with a group of entering first year students. So, I noticed the Mencian resonances in this op-ed in today’s WaPo by Michael Gerson. He is a… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 