The Useless Tree

Taoism

  • Thoughts on the Yankees’ Loss

    The New York Yankees lost the Americal League Championship series to the Texas Rangers last night.  An old high school friend (Hi Richard!) facebooked me and asked for any solace that might be gained from ancient Chinese philosophy.  As a… Continue reading

  • The Tao of Burning Man

    I realize I am going a bit overboard with "Tao of…" posts.  But, hey, I'm reading the DDJ in my tutorial and Daoism is very much on my mind… Jacob Davies at Obsidian Wings has a post about Burning Man,… Continue reading

  • The Tao of Genki Sudo: Mind Shift lyrics

    OK, this may seem a bit obsessive – and perhaps it is – but I really do enjoy Japanese MMA fighter-turned-J-pop-Star, Genki Sudo.  I revealed this interest to one of my students and she (thanks Mai!) graciously translated the lyrics… Continue reading

  • Not the Way, not the Way at all

    Regular commentator Scott  "Bao Pu," asks whether it is possible for humans to obstruct the natural unfolding of Way.  His query came from my own suggestion in an earlier post that there are moral "oughts" in the DDJ and that… Continue reading

  • The Philosophic Basis for Philanthropy in China

    Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are encouraging wealthy Chinese businessmen to take up philothropic giving.  The WaPo picks up the story and speculates on why there has not been mucn in the way of charitble donation in China.  Invariably,… Continue reading

  • The Fear of National Self-Knowledge

    This morning a "Letter from Beijing" in the NYT reports: Even as China’s economy and society become increasingly diverse and sophisticated, its relationship to its own history remains stubbornly mired in cover-ups and silences. A look at how high school… Continue reading

  • Daoist Advice for the New York Yankees

    It's been an eventful week for Daoist Yankee fans. Lost two out of three to the lowly Orioles, swept by the Rangers, and dropped another two out of three to Tampa Bay.  We've slipped to a half game out in… Continue reading

  • How Many Daodejings?

    The start of the new semester has already taken me away from blogging more than I would like.  As I settle in to the new schedule ('m always a bit discombobulated at first, adjusting to a new set of class… Continue reading

  • Generating Meaning for Ourselves

    As is evident from the last post, I am gearing up to teach the classics.  First up, the Daodejing.  I put this first because I see it as an introduction to a more expansive cosmology (compared to Confucianism).  For me,… Continue reading

  • Science, Religion, Daoism

    An nice little piece in the NYT The Stone philosophy blog by Tim Crane (no relation) about the difference between scientific and religious knowledge and belief.   Upon reading it, my first impression (which holds as my continuing impression) is… Continue reading