The Useless Tree

Confucius/Confucianism

  • The Conference

         Here I am, back at the internet cafe.  This time, however, I am off in a side room, sipping ice latte and blogging – is this what they mean when they talk about the "superiority of socialism?"  … Continue reading

  • Off to Beijing

       Sorry for fewer posts this week.  I have been frantically grading and getting myself ready to fly off to Beijing tomorrow.  I will be attending a conference, "The International Symposium on Confucianism in the Postmodern Era," at the Beijing… Continue reading

  • A Loyal Brother

        Confucianism pushes against nationalism of any sort because it defines our moral selves in terms of how well we cultivate and preserve our closest loving relationships.  If there is a conflict of obligations between family (or most immediate… Continue reading

  • At Fifteen

        Today is Aidan’s fifteenth birthday.  I thought about saying "would have been" his fifteenth birthday, but I will keep it in the present tense.  He continues to be a presence in my life, even in his absence, and… Continue reading

  • Vive Le Confucianism!

         Family week continues here at The Useless Tree.  Today, thanks to this article in the WaPo, we take a look at France, where they seem to have institutionalized the Confucian desire to "cherish the young:" France heavily subsidizes… Continue reading

  • The Opposite of Denial

        This afternoon, my next-door office neighbor, the indefatigable Abu Aardvark, walks into my office and shows me this chart (click to enlarge):      From this source (it leads to a PDF): "Is There A ‘Civil War’ in… Continue reading

  • Confucian Families

        The NYT is on a sociology of the US family tear it seems.  On Sunday it was marriage, and today, the household division of labor and child-rearing: Despite the surge of women into the work force, mothers are… Continue reading

  • Speaking of Marriage…

        This story ran yesterday in China Daily, but I only saw it today: Criticized by some as a harlot but canonized by others as a charming expecting mother, a Chinese blogger is stirring a lot of on-line debate… Continue reading

  • Is Marriage Necessary?

        The answer seems to be, in practical and empirical terms, no: Married couples, whose numbers have been declining for decades as a proportion of American households, have finally slipped into a minority, according to an analysis of new… Continue reading

  • Do Words Mean What They Say?

        If you actually read the Communique of the Sixth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the CCP, it seems to be saying some pretty good things, like this: The plenum puts forward the main objectives and tasks… Continue reading