Latest Posts
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Doing Well v. Doing Good
An article in the NYT today looks into the question of the purpose of higher education. Is it simply a matter of producing individuals who will go out into the business world and amass large personal fortunes, or should there… Continue reading
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Blindsight, The Movie
We saw Blindsight on Friday night. A great film, but one that raises a question about how we understand disability. First, some background on the film, without too much in the way of spoilers. The story focuses on… Continue reading
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Young and Restless in China
Two nights ago I watched a great documentary on PBS, "Young and Restless in China." The website for the program is really quite good. It is possible to watch the whole thing on line, or to just select 10… Continue reading
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Taoism for Kids, with Reflections on Orientalism
Last weekend my daughter was babysitting an eight-year-old acquaintance and I took them to see a movie, something appropriate for the younger girl. Thus, I found myself watching the new Dream Works movie, "Kung Fu Panda." Perhaps this is a… Continue reading
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Barak Obama, Confucian Gentleman
In a Father's Day speech in Chicago today, the Democratic nominee said it straight: “Too many fathers are M.I.A., too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes,” Mr. Obama said to a chorus of… Continue reading
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Learning Humanity from Same Sex Couples
A story a couple of day's ago in the NYT reports: For insights into healthy marriages, social scientists are looking in an unexpected place. A growing body of evidence shows that same-sex couples have a great deal to teach everyone… Continue reading
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Modern Confucianism
A good post over at Granite Studio by Jeremiah brings up a question I have posed here before: How modern can Confucius be? Jeremiah is responding to a talk given by Daniel A. Bell, a philosophy professor at Qinghua. … Continue reading
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1000 Posts
I do not do much bloggy self-reflection on the presence or meaning of this site, not much beyond my anniversary posts. But today a milestone has been reached and should be mentioned. The last post below was the 1000th… Continue reading
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Chuang Tzu at the Movies
Somewhere in the past six months I missed this: a movie with clear Chuang Tzu resonance. I stumbled upon it today, when I clicked on this post by Juhn Ahn at the Immanent Frame. He is adding to a… Continue reading
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John McCain is not a Confucian Gentleman
Some attention is being drawn to John McCain's first marriage and the apparently shabby manner in which he ended it. Andrew Sullivan blogs on it and makes the point that in a liberal society, one that draws a distinction… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 