The Useless Tree

Confucius/Confucianism

  • Neither Confucian nor Taoist

       A rather bleak picture of middle class urban China painted by this Reuters story (hat tip, CDT) The problem of grown only children having difficulties sustaining relationships is particularly pronounced among the affluent middle-and upper-classes who have accumulated enormous… Continue reading

  • Cloning: It’s not just for Buddhists and Hindus

        John Tierney writes in today’s NYT about global religious differences and human cloning: “Asian religions worry less than Western religions that biotechnology is about ‘playing God,’” says Cynthia Fox, the author of “Cell of Cells,” a book about… Continue reading

  • Confucian Football

         I noticed this headline today and immediately thought of The Master: Fatherhood Puts Game in Perspective.      It’s about Fred Taylor, an accomplished running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars (one of those teams I have never really… Continue reading

  • Judge Mukasey: Tool for Torture

        The nominee for Attorney General of the United States, Judge Michael B. Mukasey, is unable to speak the name of torture: But Mr. Mukasey told Senate Democrats he could not say whether waterboarding, which simulates drowning, was illegal… Continue reading

  • Wrong Reasons

         I have had a couple of posts recently on the question of how to treat children who commit horrible crimes.  As I have suggested, both Confucians and Taoists would disagree with the movement within US law of late… Continue reading

  • “Confucian” Societies can Change

         Here’s a follow-up to Tuesday’s post on "Confucianism without Women,"  a story in Salon.com (hat tip China Law Blog) about a World Bank report that shows a change in social norms in South Korea away from male birth… Continue reading

  • Ancient Chinese Thought for the Modern American….Military?

         I noticed this NYT article a few days ago but did not read it beyond the headline and first paragraph: When Troops Need More Than Knowledge of War A dozen students sit at long white tables, some intently… Continue reading

  • Why We Work

           Barry Schwartz argues today in the NYT that work – and by that he means our career or employment or professional aspirations and accomplishments – is not simply a matter of money but also a matter of… Continue reading

  • Confucianism Without Women

         An op-ed in the LA Times by Joshua Kurlantzick takes up the gender imbalance problem in China: Lanzhou exemplifies a more insidious, possibly more dangerous threat to China’s development than financial imbalances, environmental disasters or unemployment: The People’s… Continue reading

  • Names and Realities

         The big Chinese Communist Party Congress, the Seventeenth since its inception, has just come to an end in Beijing.  Good times!  A new Central Committee has been "elected" (apparently there were only about 8% more candidates than seats… Continue reading