The Useless Tree

Mencius

  • June 4th

         Attention must be paid.      Here is something from Mencius to contemplate, as we remember the hundreds and hundreds of people who lost their lives on this day nineteen years ago: Prince T'ien asked: "What is the task of… Continue reading

  • Wen Jiabao is better than Mao Zedong

          I have just finished grading final exams for my Chinese politics class.  One question asked students to compare and contrast Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.  Most answers emphasized the differences but some telling similarities were noted.  So, events like… Continue reading

  • Angry Black Mencius

          A controversy of sorts has emerged over the planned Washington DC statue of Martin Luther King.  Apparently, some organization called the US Commission on Fine Arts, which has a role in the proceedings, feels that the model of… Continue reading

  • Realizing our Parents

        Laura, at 11D, calls our attention to an article in the Sunday NYT Magazine by Bob Morris, in which he reflects upon his desires to push his elderly father to physical activity beyond what the older man wants. … Continue reading

  • Mencius on Taxes

        Yesterday was tax day in the US, the day when federal, and I believe most state, income tax forms must be filed.  For many years I used to do my taxes by myself, and this day was certainly… Continue reading

  • Martin Luther King

         Forty years ago today Martin Luther King was shot dead.  I remember it.  I was eleven years old and King’s assassination was a bracing moment in my political socialization.      My parents were both born and raised… Continue reading

  • Mencius at the Federal Reserve

         It may be shrouded in financial technicalities, but the action of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Treasury Department to limit the effects of the sub-prime mortgage crisis has a Mencian ring to it.   Here is Timothy F.… Continue reading

  • “Bush’s War”

        Last night I watched a good portion of the Frontline program, "Bush’s War."  It was a frustrating reminder of the many, many inhumane decisions that led to the US war in Iraq.  Then, this morning, I saw this… Continue reading

  • Taiwan’s Presidential Election

        No big surprises here.  Ma Ying-jeou, the KMT candidate, appears to have won about 58% of the vote.  This is pretty much what was expected following January’s legislative elections.      We should be careful, however, in reading… Continue reading

  • Breaking News: Mencius Right, Legalists Wrong

         Nothing like some current psycho-social scientific research (hat tip: Zhongnanhai) to verify claims that have been around for a couple of thousand years: Common game theory has held that punishment makes two equals cooperate. But when people compete… Continue reading