The Useless Tree

Confucius/Confucianism

  • One More Time: North Korea is not Confucian!

    A story this morning on the NPR radio program, Morning Edition, discussed the political leadership succession now underway in North Korea: "What has happened [in the] past two days is not the end of succession process," says Moon Chung-in, a… Continue reading

  • A Confucian Critique of Celebrations of Confucius’s Birthday

    Yesterday was celebrated as the 2,561st birthday of Confucius.  Happy birthday to you… And that's just about as far as I think it should go.  Of course, in China there are big shows of respect and deference to the Master… Continue reading

  • Xie Chaoping and the Impossibility of State Confucianism in China

    Can Confucianism serve as a basis for state ideology in the PRC today?  Can it be a source of principles that might guide and justify the use of state power? No, it cannot.  Long story short: given the nature of… Continue reading

  • More on Confucian Soft Power

    My friend, Daniel Bell, has an op-ed in today's International Herald Tribute in which he returns to the question of Confucianism and soft power (I written about this topic here and here and here). Daniel and I disagree on this:… Continue reading

  • Derek Jeter is a Sunzi Warrior, not a Confucian Gentleman

    Captain of the New York Yankees, shortstop Derek Jeter, last week feigned that he had been hit by a pitch and was awarded first base.  He hammed it up a bit but, as replays clearly demonstrated, he had not been… Continue reading

  • The Philosophic Basis for Philanthropy in China

    Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are encouraging wealthy Chinese businessmen to take up philothropic giving.  The WaPo picks up the story and speculates on why there has not been mucn in the way of charitble donation in China.  Invariably,… Continue reading

  • Animals are not Human

    That was one thought that came to mind as I read this NYT article: "Scientists Square Off on Evolutionary Value of Helping Relatives."   When I saw the headline my Confucian senses started tingling.  Helping relatives is obviously a Confucian… Continue reading

  • Plagiarism and Confucianism

    In recent months a plagiarism scandal has roiled Chinese academia.  It seems that Wang Hui, a prominent "new left" intellectual, was accused of copying the work of others without proper attribution in his dissertation, written in 1985.  There have been… Continue reading

  • Nothing good will come of this

    That is: the destruction of the old alleyways – hutong – around Gulou (the Drum Tower) neighborhood in Beijing.  I understand the complaints of local residents, who have to put up with substandard housing, but a more organic, grass-roots process… Continue reading

  • In the company of actors

    This summer I am acting.  I have a small part in a regional theater production.  Rehearsals began yesterday and I want to write a bit about the experience, but I am going to do so in a circumspect manner, to… Continue reading