Confucius valued careful and serious speech. One passage in the Analects says that a person can be judged as wise or unwise on the basis of a single sentence. So how is it possible that for many Americans, the first thing they think of when they hear the name of the Chinese teacher is “Confucius say,” followed by a silly one-liner?
Category Archives: Popular Culture
NPR Story about Shanghai Subway Passenger
This story about a foreigner passing out on the subway in Shanghai caught my attention; and I thought it might interest some of our readers as well. It turns out that after fainting and falling to the floor, not a single person tried to help the foreigner. The explanations in the article seem a bit dubious; and there’s no fat villan to throw in front of the subway car, which would make for a more interesting discussion; but I’m guessing a few of you might have some thoughts on the piece nonetheless.
Individualism, Collectivism, and American Football
The fascinating story of the Chongqing Dockers:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117246/chinese-football-my-season-chongqing-dockers
Mozi on the Cosmos Series
To file under Chinese philosophy in popular culture: Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses Mozi on the television show Cosmos here: http://www.cosmosontv.com/watch/215791683929 (from about 3:50 onward). Enjoy.
