Current Affairs
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Green Confucius
A few weeks ago I posted a response to a piece from the blog Western Confucian which quoted Pan Yue, a Chinese environmental protection administrator, arguing that ancient Chinese philosophy is especially good in respecting the natural environment. … Continue reading
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Oh, And By The Way…Bush Lost The War
I have read a bit of the commentary on Bush’s bizarre Iraq-Vietnam comparison speech. It strikes me as bizarre because opening up this line of comparison can only work against Bush’s desire to stay in Iraq. He is… Continue reading
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So, America Is A Confucian Society…
Sorry for another drop-off in blogging: we went into New York City for a Yankee game (they lost) and a show (Frost/Nixon). More on the trip tomorrow. This evening I saw this AP story and had to post… Continue reading
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Ancient Greens
The Western Confucian links to a couple of articles by Pan Yue, the deputy director of China’s State Environmental Protection Agency. Pan makes various statements about how ancient Chinese philosophy is especially good on environmental protection. I’m not… Continue reading
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Let’s Call A Legalist, A Legalist
Can you catch the implicit cultural assertion in this story? Execution for corruption is proportionate and accords with "China’s national condition," a senior official said Thursday, as a disgraced former party chief from Shanghai, now confirmed to be… Continue reading
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Tao Cat
Why did this story make me think of Tao? Oscar the cat makes his grand entrances just as life is about to leave. A hop onto the bed, a fastidious lick of the paws, then a snuggle beside… Continue reading
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Confucianism in Communist China
Maureen Fan has good piece in today’s WaPo on the revival of Confucianism in China: Confucianism is enjoying a resurgence in this country, as more and more Chinese like Guan [who has sent his children to a Confucian… Continue reading
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Trading on Tao
I have to respond to the splashy front page article in today’s NYT that reports on – or should I say fawns over – the hip Las Vegas party restaurant, Tao. It’s all about style and money and… Continue reading
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Ancient Chinese Thought in Today’s LA Times
I noticed two op-ed pieces in the LA Times today (one is from last week), which capture certain points of Confucianism and Taoism. Let’s do the Confucian one first. Meghan Daum writes about the over use… Continue reading
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Political Leadership and the Iraq War: Clausewitz 1, Sun Tzu O
I learn a lot from Sun Tzu and I believe he has some important things to say to us today, across all the centuries from his own time. But his notions about the relationship between political and military… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 