The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • The Multiversal Dao

    Seems like theoretical physicists have worked themselves into futility.  Or that, at least, is the sense that emerges from Alan P. Lightman's piece in Harper's Magazine, "The accidental universe: Science's crisis of faith."  The search for ultimate theoretical explanation of… Continue reading

  • Another Daoist Christmas

    …And in honor of the day, here is my annual reflection: 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… Continue reading

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    An op-ed in the English edition of the Global Times today asks: Are Chinese people truly miserable? It opens: "Misery" is a regular word today. From emotions reflected in the media and online, the Chinese sense of misery is increasing… Continue reading

  • Daoism as Soft Power?

    For a long time now there has been talk about how Confucianism might figure, or not,  in the soft power strategy of the PRC state.  And now it seems Beijing is starting to look toward Daoism for the same purposes:… Continue reading

  • Twenty Years

    Today is Aidan's twentieth birthday.  His memory still animates my being, his presence, even in absence, a continuing creator of of my life's course.  It was Aidan who led me into ancient Chinese philosophy, especially an appreciation of Daoism, and… Continue reading

  • The Dao of Neutrinos

    Last week we heard a lot about the experiment in Europe in which a neutrino was measured as traveling faster than the speed of light, a theoretical impossibility according to Einstein.  And so now we have a spate of articles… Continue reading

  • Last Train Home

    Quite by chance, I watched the documentary, "Last Train Home,' last night. It happened to pop up on television (yah PBS!) as I was watching a baseball game.  I was riveted the whole way through. It is a documentary that… Continue reading

  • Mariano Rivera: Daoist Sage

    Baseball fans out there know that history was made yesterday: New York Yankee Mariano Rivera set the all time record for career saves.  I (and, remember, I am a Daoist Yankee fan…) was lucky enough to listen to the final… Continue reading

  • The Dao of Hurricanes

    Hurricane Irene blew through my town on Sunday.  Actually, by the time it got here, over 100 miles from the coast, it had been down-graded to a tropical storm.  But it's impact was powerful here.  Local rivers flooded, washing out… Continue reading

  • Obama’s Successful Taoist Foreign Policy

    If things keep going in Libya, and Gahdafi is finally vanquished, it would appear that Obama's Tao-esque "leading from behind" foreign policy, has worked. That's what Blake Hounshell argues in any event.  And that's what the Daodejing tells us as… Continue reading