The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • Further to the Daoist Trolley (non)Problem

    Wow. Lots of hits for my post on a Daoist response to the Trolley Problem.  It was put up on the Reddit Philosophy page and that brought a deluge of readers, many, I imagine, first-time visitors to this blog.  Hundreds… Continue reading

  • To a Daoist, the Trolley Problem is not a Problem at all

    A reader sent in an interesting email, asking how Daoism might respond to the "Trolley Problem."  A great question!  Let's think it through. For those not familiar with it, the "Trolley Problem" (I will link here to the obituary of… Continue reading

  • No Self, No Other, Gish Jen, and Bipolar Disorder

    I have ordered my copy of Gish Jen's new book, Tiger Writing, spured on by yesterday's review of it in the NYT.  Here's the gist: …Jen’s father had been born into a culture whose parenting style explicitly intends the humbling… Continue reading

  • The Dao of Wolverines

    Just had to mention this article, which reports that Jon Horford, a forward on the University of Michigan basketball team, is a student of the Daodejing.  Fantastic.  And it seems that the young man has a good grasp on the… Continue reading

  • American Daoism

    Sometimes I despair that some of my favorite books – the Daodejing and Zhuangzi – seem wholly irrelevant to the materialism and competitiveness of contemporary American life.  And then along comes an article like this: Living With Less. A Lot… Continue reading

  • Daoist Gun Control

    The Daodejing takes a dim view of weapons.  Passage 31 begins (Legge translation): Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Dao do not like to… Continue reading

  • Daoist Thoughts on Newtown

    When confronted with horrible, senseless crimes like the massacre of innocent children in Connecticut last week, I find myself turning back to the Daoist classics for reflection. It is not that I find answers in the Daodejing and Zhuangzi.  There… Continue reading

  • Zhuangzi doesn’t do debates

    He sees right through the rhetorical posturing (Hinton translation): Suppose you and I have an argument.  Suppose you win and I lose.  Does that mean you’re really right and I’m wrong?  Suppose I win and you lose.  Does that mean… Continue reading

  • Actually, America Must “Lead from Behind” in East Asia

    Aaron Friedberg has a piece in The Diplomat today: "America Cannot 'Lead From Behind' in East Asia."  It is a critique of what he takes to be a shift in US policy toward China, a softening of the US "pivot"… Continue reading

  • Busyness: It Doesn’t Work

    People are talking about the article that ran in Sunday's NYT: "The Busy Trap," by Tim Kreider.  It's a fun piece, but Kreider misses an opportunity here: the obvious link to Daoism.  Obvious, at least, for those of us who… Continue reading