The Useless Tree

Mencius

  • Inequality

       India will confront me with inequality, stark and extreme economic inequality.  And that brings me back to Mencius, who says: "…inequality is in the very nature of things." (95).  When he says that he is specifically referring to prices… Continue reading

  • More Details, Please

        This headline caught my eye in The China Daily: "Ancient ideas could illuminate poverty fight."  But the story that follows gives very little idea of what this might mean.  It starts off well: Insights from Confucianism and Taoism… Continue reading

  • In Solidarity with the People of Burma

    Prince T’ien asked: "What is the task of a worthy official?""To cultivate the highest of purposes," replied Mencius."What do you mean by the highest of purposes?""It’s simple: Humanity and Duty.  You defy Humanity if you cause the death of a… Continue reading

  • “The War” and “No End in Sight”

          Last week I went and saw the film, "No End in Sight," (Youtube trailer, here) about the deceit and dissembling that produced the war in Iraq; and this week I have been watching the TV documentary, "The War," … Continue reading

  • Mencius and the Jena 6

         The large demonstrations this week in Jena Louisiana, protesting the apparent disproportionate punishment of six African-American high school students for beating up a white fellow student, raise many questions about race and justice in America.  And Mencius can… Continue reading

  • Mencius in the News, Again (Even if Unnamed, Again)

       This headline jumped out at me today: "Is Do Unto Others Written Into Our Genes?"  And I immediately thought: Mencius would say "Yes!"     The article centers on the research of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, especially his book,… Continue reading

  • Qin Shi Huangdi Was A Bad Man

         It seems that a group of terra-cotta warriors are making the trip from Xian to London, to be exhibited at the British Museum.  A rather breathless article in the New Stateman (hat tip, CDT) sets the stage: "The… Continue reading

  • Serve the People

         We hear a lot about "serve the people" in the PRC.  The official Mao-inspired slogan is not as popular now as it was years ago, but the official persona of Wen Jiabao symbolizes it: he is presented as… Continue reading

  • Not A Mencius Among Them

        We are in the run-up to the big Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.  This will be the 17th Party Congress (not to be confused with the People’s Congresses, which are meetings of the legislative branch).  These meetings… Continue reading

  • Confucians Against The Great Wall

        I saw this story today (hat tip, CDT): The Great Wall of China, built to withstand raiding hordes from the steppes, is now in peril from a far more insidious threat: sandstorms generated by desertification in the country’s… Continue reading