The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • 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

  • A Liberal China

         As I apply Confucianism and Taoism to modern American and Chinese life, I am struck by a question: how liberal is China now?     The question arises because both Confucianism and Taoism have to be accommodated, in… Continue reading

  • Taoism is a set of meaningless cliches only popular because of 1960 hippies

        The title above is taken from a Google search that brought someone to my blog this afternoon.  What is to be said in response?  I guess he wasn’t satisfied with what he found here, if he stayed for… Continue reading

  • Another Taoist July 4th.

        I wrote this post last year, but not many people saw it; so, I post it here again  this year:     It may seem improbable but I think we can find a Taoist angle on the US… Continue reading

  • Simple and Minute

        I am doing some writing tonight, working on a chapter that introduces "key concepts" of Taoism and Confucianism for the book I mentioned in this post.  It’s going well; I will likely finish a draft of this chapter… Continue reading

  • Way is Vast

         In one of Robert Henricks’ translation of the Tao Te Ching, which he titles the Te Tao Ching (because the text he works from was found with what is usually known to be the second half of the… Continue reading

  • Taoist Physics

          Since we’re talking about Taoism (see post below), how about this op-ed in today’s NYT by Margaret Wertheim.  She discusses what shadows, immaterial presences that do not require energy to move, might mean for modern physics: ON Thursday,… Continue reading

  • George Bush, Taoist

       Even though I have done so before, I can’t bring myself to refer to Bush as a Taoist Sage.  But he is taking what I believe is the Taoist position of stem cells, with his announcement that he will… Continue reading

  • Chien-Ming Wang, Taoist Sage

         I watched the Yankee game last night, a brilliant pitching performance by Taiwan’s pride, Chien-Ming Wang, in an 8-2 victory over the Mets.  I have blogged about Wang before, noting his Confucian filiality, but last night something else… Continue reading

  • A Taoist in all but name?

         I noticed this book review in today’s NYT (hat tip: Richard).   Kang Zhengguo’s memoir is titled, Confessions: An Innocent Life in Communist China.  The review describes him thusly: Dreamy, lazy, romantic, stubborn and impulsive, Mr. Kang spelled trouble… Continue reading