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标签：freedom

Everything Is Unprepared, Yet the East Wind Blows Quite Fiercely—Disappointed Once Again in Education Reform

Culture & Public Commentary2006.08.30
Everything Is Unprepared, Yet the East Wind Blows Quite Fiercely—Disappointed Once Again in Education Reform
Hayek: In this world, there is always a difference between treating people equally and trying to make them equal. The former is a prerequisite of a free society, while the latter, as Tocqueville described it, means “a new form of servitude.” This passage is truly well put. Freedom, democracy, equality—these concepts sound stirring, and of course they are all good words. Yet how exactly are they to be understood, and how are they to be pursued? That is a big question. The United States, waving the banner of freedom and democracy, carries out its “new form of servitude” across the globe, and in China, too, the concept of equality is…
freedom commentary education equality
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2006年8月30日
You chose it yourself, and you’ll still refuse to admit you were wrong

Life & Notes2006.08.11
You chose it yourself, and you’ll still refuse to admit you were wrong
A true brave person will not regret the choices he made on his own; a coward, by contrast, is just the opposite: he finds it easier not to regret the choices someone else made for him, because in the end he can always dump the responsibility on somebody else. Weigh the options yourself, choose for yourself, decide for yourself, and bear it yourself. Listen appropriately to other people’s opinions, but never “seek help” from others, and even less should you depend on other people’s opinions. If the final result turns out as you wished, go thank those who selflessly offered you advice; if the final result is less than satisfactory,…
freedom autobiography self responsibility
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2006年8月11日
Predetermination as Vast as the Sea, Freedom as Small as a Boat

Philosophy & Thought2006.07.16
Predetermination as Vast as the Sea, Freedom as Small as a Boat
For some reason, this sentence suddenly came to mind. “Predestination is like the sea, freedom like a small boat.” — This saying comes from Islamic doctrine. There was a period when I was quite fascinated by Islam—though of course I still retain a strong interest in it now. But as for its doctrines and tenets, I know very little; the only line I can really recite from memory is probably this one. Yet these ten characters already capture the relation between freedom and constraint very aptly, and with considerable depth. On the question of “fate,” this sentence can be understood in two ways: one is pessimistic—no matter how “apparently” free…
philosophy freedom pluralism Islam
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2006年7月16日
Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Culture & Public Commentary2006.06.21
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
[U.S.] Richard Bach: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, translated by Guo Hui, Nanhai Publishing Company, April 2004 I first heard about this book in The Tree of Philosophy. In The Tree of Philosophy, it was not merely “mentioned” that seagull Jonathan existed; rather, nearly an entire class period was spent discussing it—as the introduction to the section on “philosophy of science.” The Tree of Philosophy provides countless excellent reference books as post-class reading, yet the only one assigned as a classroom task and directly discussed in class was this marvelous literary work. Freedom, pursuit, mind, wings, infinity… As for literary works, I am not very fond of writing analysis or criticism, nor…
philosophy book reading notes freedom
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2006年6月21日
On Looking Down from on High

Life & Notes2005.07.31
On Looking Down from on High
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot: sometimes even I can’t stand myself. But there’s nothing to be done about it. Three or five years ago, many of my ideas were, one should say, about the same as those of ordinary people in society. And I myself have been growing; looking back now, some of the things I used to think really were childish. But the worse luck is that I’ll keep on growing. So my growth has practically become a symbol of the widening gap between my thinking and that of ordinary people, meaning that the depth of my thought will never again be able to return to the level…
philosophy everyday life freedom pluralism
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2005年7月31日