The Useless Tree

Confucius/Confucianism

  • Is Confucianism the answer?

    Here's a sad story, from the Straits Times (Singapore): BEIJING – A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy was orphaned in the southwest Chinese city of Chongzhou when his parents drank pesticide after a nasty row. The tragedy, reported in the state media last… Continue reading

  • Confucius on Youtube

    Googling around today I found this video.  It's from the Voice of America but strikes me as a useful little bit on Confucianism. Continue reading

  • Confucianism in Hard Times

    Yesterday in class I was talking about Japan in the 1990s, the persistent economic stagnation and the cultural pessimism it spawned (the pessimism is expressed in this article by Masaru Tamamoto, "The Uncertainty of the Self: Japan at Century's End").  … Continue reading

  • Bush’s Filial Dysfunction

    On Saturday evening I took my daughter to see W, the movie.  It was directed by Oliver Stone.  I was a bit surprised at how Stone decided to paint a rather sympathetic portrait.  Granted, Bush fils came off as a… Continue reading

  • Confucius on Sarah Palin’s Press Conferences

    The Master said: "The ancients spoke little. They were too ashamed when their actions fell short of their words."  Analects, 4.22 Continue reading

  • One More Time: Is China a Confucian Society?

    A while ago a friend (thanks, Tracy!) sent me a link to a paper on teaching Western philosophy to Chinese college students in China.  It is written by a Chinese professor, Xuetai Qi, who has good experience and has though… Continue reading

  • 18th Century British Confucianism

    It's been a crazy week: lots of work, lots of distractions (third presidential debate), and various meetings thrown in for good measure.  I've thus gotten behind in blogging.  But before the week gained momentum and stole my time and attention… Continue reading

  • A Conservative, Christian Confucianism

    I had not seen this before (hat tip: Western Confucian) but here is an intelligent and thoughtful consideration of Confucius from a Western, Catholic, Conservative point of view. Jim Kalb, the author, gets at many of the issues in regard… Continue reading

  • Confucian Art

    This slipped my attention last month: an exhibition at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena entitled, "Confucius: Shaping Values through Art." The museum's web page on the exhibit has a short video with various people talking about how Confucianism is… Continue reading

  • Embarrassed for Democracy

    I am one of those people who believe that, even with its obvious shortcomings, democracy (and by that I mean political contestation and inclusion), is generally the best means for securing political justice.  Democracy, in other words, is good.  It… Continue reading