The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • Neither Confucian nor Taoist

       A rather bleak picture of middle class urban China painted by this Reuters story (hat tip, CDT) The problem of grown only children having difficulties sustaining relationships is particularly pronounced among the affluent middle-and upper-classes who have accumulated enormous… Continue reading

  • Thoughts on Wittgenstein and Chuang Tzu

        One of the nice things about my job is that I get to take a leave from teaching every so often (we get one semester off after three years on, or one year off after six years on). … Continue reading

  • Straw Dogs

        A piece in yesterday’s NYT Book Review caught my eye, a review of a new book, Black Mass, by John Gray, the British political philosopher.  Gray has popped up here on The Useless Tree twice before, once in… Continue reading

  • Another Taoist Thanksgiving

         Here we are again on my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  It is my third blogging Thanksgiving and I really cannot think of a better way to mark the occasion than with the post from my first blogging Thanksgiving.  There… Continue reading

  • Cloning: It’s not just for Buddhists and Hindus

        John Tierney writes in today’s NYT about global religious differences and human cloning: “Asian religions worry less than Western religions that biotechnology is about ‘playing God,’” says Cynthia Fox, the author of “Cell of Cells,” a book about… Continue reading

  • Li Po (Li Bai) on Chuang Tzu

    Ancient Song Chuang-tzu dreams he’s a butterfly,and a butterfly becomes Chuang-tzu. All transformation this one body, boundless occurrence goes on and on: it’s no surprise eastern seas become western streams shallow and clear, or the melon-grower at Ch’ing Gate once… Continue reading

  • Lieh Tzu Responds to Mencius on Equality

    However, although the shapes and energies of things differ, they are equal by nature, none can take the place of another, all are born perfect in themselves, each is allotted all its needs.  How do I know whether they are… Continue reading

  • Wrong Reasons

         I have had a couple of posts recently on the question of how to treat children who commit horrible crimes.  As I have suggested, both Confucians and Taoists would disagree with the movement within US law of late… Continue reading

  • Steve Nash, Taoist Sage

          The masterful, MVP point guard of the Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, is down with the Taoist thing: “With Steve it’s all about the flow.” Flow, of course, being shorthand for that state of mind that artists and athletes… Continue reading

  • Ancient Chinese Thought for the Modern American….Military?

         I noticed this NYT article a few days ago but did not read it beyond the headline and first paragraph: When Troops Need More Than Knowledge of War A dozen students sit at long white tables, some intently… Continue reading