标签：Confucius

“It Must Be Rectification of Names” — Politics, History, and Science

Chinese Civilization & the Way of Chinese2016.04.20
“It Must Be Rectification of Names” — Politics, History, and Science
Recently, the issue of the extension of property rights on Chinese real estate has come to light, and many people have only then discovered that the so-called “automatic renewal” in the Property Law as they had understood it was merely a misunderstanding; “automatic,” it turns out, does not include the meaning of “free,” and moreover there is no fixed amount for how much one must pay to renew. Wenzhou said one would have to pay 30 percent of the housing price to renew, and then issued a clarification saying the matter was still under study. But the problem is: if the rules were already established long ago, why must the…
culture China commentary tradition
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2016年4月20日
The Spring and Autumn Annals Style or Scientific Research? — Is the Mission of the Media to Seek Truth?

Culture & Public Commentary2012.05.01
The Spring and Autumn Annals Style or Scientific Research? — Is the Mission of the Media to Seek Truth?
A few months ago Nagoya produced a mayor who, in the name of pursuing the truth, denied the Nanjing Massacre; Chinese people, unwilling to be outdone, produced Secretary Lin, who cast doubt on the Great Famine of Three Years. These two events are to some extent comparable, and the line of questioning is similar too: such huge numbers—how could that be? I’ve never heard of it… no one witnessed it… Yet compared with the injury done to public feeling, Secretary Lin’s case may be even more potent. After all, the Three-Year Disaster came just one generation after the Nanjing Massacre; many elderly people who personally experienced the Three-Year Disaster are…
culture China science media
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2012年5月1日
[Repost] Ya Li’s Remarks on Fan Meizhong

Life & Notes2008.07.06
[Repost] Ya Li’s Remarks on Fan Meizhong
鸭梨’s writing always feels pleasing to the eye~ Public opinion on the Fan Meizhong affair had two peaks. The first naturally came right after the incident; as far as I could tell, One When the incident first broke, I was also very confused: should this matter, and this person, simply be written off with one blow? I do not like Fan’s articles, especially that famous declaration, which began with his saying that he “pursues freedom and justice” and ended with his becoming a target of public reproach for not saving his mother, as well as the deep loathing he displayed in earlier writings toward his own country…
everyday life morality Confucius
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2008年7月6日
Are There Hierarchies of Value, Higher and Lower, Noble and Mean?

Philosophy & Thought2007.04.18
Are There Hierarchies of Value, Higher and Lower, Noble and Mean?
In response to UINC’s question. Questions in ethics and morality are very difficult to discuss. As Teacher Cheng said, many great philosophers only expressed opinions on ethical questions in the later period of their academic lives, when their entire philosophical systems had reached maturity. For the likes of us, insignificant nobodies, it is even less realistic to expect to have anything like definite views on ethical questions very early on—especially since many questions are never something one can gain deep insight into while still young. Young people will always be confused; if one is not confused at all, that in itself is abnormal. Confucius said that at thirty he stood…
philosophy pluralism virtue Confucius
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2007年4月18日
A Survey of the Books I Scored on Kongfuzi This Semester

Life & Notes2006.06.18
A Survey of the Books I Scored on Kongfuzi This Semester
The Adventures of Luzhinsi and Mifal Science and Religion (Barbour) An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (Carnap) The Worldview of Physicists (Newton Press; Heisenberg) Chaos Semantics and Philosophy Fractal Art A Multi-Purpose Chinese Character Encoding Dictionary The Idea of Time Oxford Selection — Reflections on Logic Oxford Selection — Introduction to the Philosophy of Science Oxford Selection — Since Structuralism Oxford Selection — The Rationalists Oxford Selection — Why We Culture Oxford Selection — Moral Philosophy Chinese Health and Intelligence-Building Qigong: A Volume of Advanced Techniques Nostradamus’s Great Prophecies — Unraveling the Mystery of Humanity’s Destruction in 1999 Dianetics: Self-Adjustment Techniques for the Mind Man Is the Spirit of…
book reading science notes history of science
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2006年6月18日
Not a Fool

History of Science & Scholarship2006.05.06
Not a Fool
“Not a Fool” — this is the four-character mantra for students of philosophy. Recite it often, when reading and when writing, and you will benefit endlessly! Philosophy is not truth and law; it is a longing for wisdom. Philosophers’ thoughts are all the more prone to error, and may even be more extreme than those of ordinary people. However, philosophers are not fools; even when they are “wrong,” they are often wrong in a “profound” way. When reading philosophers’ ideas, you must always keep in mind that they are by no means fools! And yet the “philosophy” we first encounter in middle school always seems to come with an attitude…
philosophy scholarship Marx materialism
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2006年5月6日
Some Reflections on Confucius’s Birthday and China’s Teachers’ Day

Culture & Public Commentary2006.03.11
Some Reflections on Confucius’s Birthday and China’s Teachers’ Day
At this year’s Two Sessions, CPPCC members Li Hanqiu, Wei Minglun, and others proposed that China’s Teachers’ Day should be changed from the current September 10 to September 28, Confucius’s birthday. Once again, the topic of Confucius and China’s Teachers’ Day has drawn people’s attention. In fact, Taiwan adopted Confucius’s birthday as Teachers’ Day quite early, and on the mainland the call to change Teachers’ Day is by no means something that only became lively at this year’s Two Sessions. Last September, Mr. Hu Xingdou, professor of economics at Beijing Institute of Technology (peace ambassador of the Global Peace Alliance, council member of the World Chinese Exchange Association), initiated and…
culture history education ritual
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2006年3月11日
A fortunate chat with Professor Li Deshun

Life & Notes2006.01.14
A fortunate chat with Professor Li Deshun
Alas, I’m so tired today, I won’t record it…… Latest comments Me 2006-01-14 21:52:45 [reply] Just jot down a few odds and ends: We were told to assemble at nine in the morning. I wasn’t properly awake; ZW had a nosebleed; CG sprained his wrist. It seemed everyone was having a pretty rough time. LY overslept; at first, when we texted and called, he didn’t respond at all, and I even thought something had happened to him, like he had chipped a front tooth or something. In the end, we confirmed it was because he had stayed up all night and only gone to sleep at six. We didn’t bring…
philosophy everyday life Kant Confucius
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2006年1月14日
Philosophy’s Critical Spirit and the “Critical” Spirit of Folk Philosophy

History of Science & Scholarship2005.12.28
Philosophy’s Critical Spirit and the “Critical” Spirit of Folk Philosophy
Philosophy is the most meticulous about criticism and questioning. Every great thinker possesses a strong sense of skepticism and a critical spirit. Marx said, “doubt everything,” and Kant also carried out a comprehensive critique of traditional metaphysics in three massive volumes; Mr. Lu Xun, meanwhile, thoroughly exposed the inferiority of the Chinese national character… Many people find this immensely satisfying and gratifying; criticism, exposure, nitpicking—these became a kind of fashion, and “cursing and swearing at every turn” became trendy… Someone says: criticism is always a good thing, isn’t critique the most important philosophical spirit of all? Little do they know that this critique is not that critique; the so-called “critique”…
philosophy China scholarship tradition
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2005年12月28日
Annotations on the Analects…………

Culture & Public Commentary2005.12.13
Annotations on the Analects…………
Today I picked up a strange book at the Inward Bookstore and ended up reading it until I was almost out of breath…… Peking University Department of Philosophy Class of 1970 worker-peasant-soldier students: Annotations to The Analects, Zhonghua Book Company, 1974 Below I randomly excerpt two relatively short “criticisms”: 10·22 A friend dies, with nowhere to turn, and he says: “It is for me to bury him” [Notes] 1 Friend — refers to someone who shared Confucius’s aspirations and path; this person died and nobody took care of him, clearly a decadent aristocrat. [Translation] (Confucius’s) friend died, and no one took responsibility for him; (Confucius) said: “Let me take charge…
book reading notes history Confucianism
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2005年12月13日