The Useless Tree

Philosophy

  • Taoist Thoughts on Herbert Spencer

         I read a review/essay in The New Yorker last night on Herbert Spencer, the 19th century (mostly: he died in 1903)  thinker/philosopher famous for the idea of "social Darwinism."   Many thoughts came to mind, mostly of a Taoist… Continue reading

  • 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

  • Against Perfectionism

         Add this to The Useless Tree summer reading list: Michael Sandel, The Case Against Perfectionism: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering (Harvard, 2007).  It was reviewed today in the NYT by William Saletan.  I have only read… Continue reading

  • Nations Don’t Have Values, People Do

         I linked to this piece a couple of days ago, but now notice that it has caught the attention of some other big sites.  In coming back to it, I see it in a somewhat different light.  … Continue reading

  • What Should We Remember?

         A controversy has arisen at my college, one that raises an interesting question (above the din of the usual freedom of speech v. standards of decency thing): what should we remember?      Recent events run something like… Continue reading

  • Baudrillard and Chuang Tzu

         Jean Baudrillard is (not) dead.  From the Guardian: Jean Baudrillard’s death did not take place. "Dying is pointless," he once wrote. "You have to know how to disappear." The New Yorker reported a reading the French sociologist gave… Continue reading

  • What She Said

        I have mentioned professor Yu Dan before.  She is a media scholar at Beijing Normal University who has published a very popular book in China about the modern applications of the Analects.  She has apparently now done some… Continue reading

  • Religious Taoism

        I was away in New York City Yesterday, going to see Broadway shows there with my daughter (more on that later); so, I am a bit behind in the news.  Imagine my delight when I discovered this article… Continue reading

  • The Zhou and Us

         I am teaching a tutorial this year, the first time I have taken up this kind of class.  A small group of students and I will read and discuss – and they will write about – ancient Chinese… Continue reading

  • Xun Zi (Hsun Tzu)

         Jeremiah, of Granite Studio fame, asks a question: In the past we’ve had a bit of debate in our department when it comes time to teach our 5000-years-in-9-weeks-from-Yao-to-Mao course. After Confucius, we usually discuss Mencius and Xunzi. What… Continue reading