The Useless Tree

Confucius/Confucianism

  • Where have all the Confucians gone?

    Apparently, they're not to be found among the nouveau riches in China: Attitudes towards luxury are far more positive in China than they are in other rich nations, with 78 percent of those surveyed saying that luxury goods and services… Continue reading

  • Cherish the Young

    I write today in support of a documentary that is currently under production, Living with Dead Hearts: The Search for China's Kidnapped Children, which chronicles a tragic and widespread problem.  It is directed by Charlie Custer, of ChinaGeeks fame, and… Continue reading

  • Gary Locke shows how China is neither Confucian nor Daoist

    Since arriving in China as the new US Ambassador, Gary Locke has attracted more than the usual attention from Chinese citizens, netizens and commentators.  He is the first Chinese-American to hold this position and his behavior – modest, respectful, frugal… Continue reading

  • Why Confucianism will not provide “soft power” to the PRC

    Last year I wrote a paper, and presented it at a couple of think tanks in China, entitled, "Confucianism as Soft Power."  The text has been sitting in my computer ever since; so I have decided to post it here… Continue reading

  • Deng Xiaoping was not a Confucian gentleman

    Just ordered a copy of Ezra Vogel's new biography of Deng Xiaoping.  I look forward to reading it; biography affords a certain immediacy and specificity when working through dynamic historical periods.   The reviews have started to come in already.… Continue reading

  • The continuing decline of filiality

    Perhaps the idea most associated with Confucius and Confucianism is filial piety.  Our most basic moral imperative is to care for our parents and, by extension, the elderly more generally.  Respect your elders: it is the "root of humanity" –… Continue reading

  • American Confucianism: not without an accomodation with Liberalism

    A Chinese philosophy friend sent along a paper (unpublished, not for citation) the other day which started to consider how Confucianism might gain greater practical acceptance in the US.  I will respect his wishes and not divulge more about the… Continue reading

  • Confucius and Zhuangzi on the Georgetown-Bayi Basketball Fight

    It was pretty ugly.   One of the things that struck me was that this was a professional Chinese team.  And they were being schooled by a US college team.  You would think their professional pride would have led them to… Continue reading

  • The Just Sentence

    A piece in the NYT today on the deliberations by Judge Denny Chin in New York on the sentencing for uber-fraudster Bernie Madoff.  Judge Chin imposed the maximum of maximum sentence, the accumulated total of the maximums of all the… Continue reading

  • Just how Confucian was the Han Dynasty? And what does that suggest for today’s Confucian revival?

    It is generally understood that, following the Qin repression, Confucianism was revived and given government sponsorship under the Han Dynasty.  The conventional wisdom goes something like this: Under the rule of Emperor Wu 漢武帝 (r. 141-87 BCE), Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒,… Continue reading