The Useless Tree

Sam Crane

  • Charismatic Virtue

    This is s post for my Chinese philosophy friends who might be able to help me understand just how Confucian exemplary leadership works. Let's just stipulate up front: Confucians believe that the virtuous should rule and they should rule by… Continue reading

  • Confucius as Contemporary Art

    Not sure what to make of Zhang Huan's new exhiibtion at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, entitled, "Q Confucius."   All I know is what I can see on the intertubes.  From that limited perspective, however, it does not… Continue reading

  • How to lose a culture war

    In a speech given last October, and published in a Party theoretical journal on January 1st (Happy New Year!), China's President, Hu Jintao, throws down the cultural gauntlet: “We must clearly see that international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic… Continue reading

  • The Multiversal Dao

    Seems like theoretical physicists have worked themselves into futility.  Or that, at least, is the sense that emerges from Alan P. Lightman's piece in Harper's Magazine, "The accidental universe: Science's crisis of faith."  The search for ultimate theoretical explanation of… Continue reading

  • Mao and Confucius

    A nice little piece by Didi Kirsten Tatlow on "Mao's Spell and the need to Break It" in yesterday's NYT.  She focuses on Robert Bellah, the venerable sociologist of religion (see review of most recent book here), and his thoughts… Continue reading

  • Another Daoist Christmas

    …And in honor of the day, here is my annual reflection: I have blogged on a Taoist view, or my Taoist view, of Thanksgiving.  But what about Christmas?  What would a Taoist make of that?     First, and most… Continue reading

  • Kim Jong-il was not Confucian, Kim Jong-un is not Confucian

    Heard the news today (oh boy…): The Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, is dead.  Not much of a surprise really.  He had been seriously ill for a long time and had already set up his son, Kim Jong-un as a successor. … Continue reading

  • Sunzi and Soft Power

    I guess when you get quoted in The Economist you should post a link to the story.  And so, here it is: Sun Tzu and the art of soft power. (I don't appear until about 2/3 of the way down).… Continue reading

  • The Commodification of Education

    I'm a teacher.  A college teacher.  Every day, or just about every day, I am engaged in the dissemination and creation of knowledge.  I put dissemination first because, as a teacher, whatever knowledge I create is often (not always) bound… Continue reading

  • A (slightly belated) Taoist Thanksgiving

    My home computer is still on the fritz, so I did not have a chance to post this yesterday.  It is my annual (ever since 2005) Thanksgiving reflection.  It has special meaning for me, five and a half years after… Continue reading