From The Rambling Taoist: When events occur that we [Taoists] don’t easily understand, we don’t presume that some benevolent or malevolent force is at work. We acknowledge that, as human beings, we are unable to grasp the breadth… Continue reading

     In commenting on an earlier post, Sperwer and Gordseller both challenge the idea that Confucianism can be taken out of its traditional Chinese or Korean context and refurbished for liberal purposes, which is something I’m interested in.  These… Continue reading

    I have blogged on a Taoist view, or my Taoist view, of Thanksgiving.  But what about Christmas?  What would a Taoist make of that?     First, and most obvious, a Taoist would stand apart from the central… Continue reading

    Let me step back a moment from my political blogging on Dongzhou and turn to an odd little question, which may be philosophical, about winter solstice: are we, at some deep unconscious level, afraid of it?    … Continue reading

      A reader emails with a question that emerged in a discussion she had with friends about the relative merits of the moral systems of Christianity and Confucianism.  Her friends say that Confucianism relies too much on "face," or… Continue reading

    For those few of you who read this blog regularly, you will notice I missed by usual Sunday "Modern Love" commentary (where I comment on the "Modern Love" column in the Sunday NYT; past examples here).  Instead, I… Continue reading

    Brian Cashman, the General Manager of the New York Yankees, contemplating a big loss earlier this week: If we can cleanse our minds and continue to realize that if we win our games, get the job done, we’re… Continue reading

    From Reuters: A German man’s severed finger traveled 60 kilometers by rail after its owner trapped his hand in the door trying to board a train at the last minute, police said Tuesday.      From Chuang Tzu:… Continue reading

     The story of Mickey Owen caught my eye. He was a catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who allowed a passed ball in the 1941 World Series that let the Yankees come back and take a three games to… Continue reading