Podcasts about Confucianism

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Cynthia Garcia about her career journey. She credits mentors and sponsors for paving the way for her success. Justin and Cynthia discuss the demands of the Chief Risk Officer role and how Cynthia works with stakeholders who have competing priorities. Cynthia shares her perspective on construction risk and safety. She is seeing more diversity in the rising generation of risk professionals, with amazing opportunities for all.   Cynthia shares how her Confucianist upbringing still makes it a struggle for her to receive recognition. Despite that, she posted on LinkedIn about receiving the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. That post led Justin to reach out to her. Cynthia speaks of her involvement with the Spencer Educational Foundation, including being a Risk Manager on Campus. Justin and Cynthia talk about the March 6th Webinar, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", that she joins as a featured panelist. Listen for tips on careers in risk management for construction.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Cynthia Garcia, the award-winning Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. We will talk all about her career in construction risk and get some "inspirado." But first… [:44] RIMS Virtual Workshops. On March 10th and 11th, we have a two-day course led by John Button for the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep. [:55] On March 17th and 18th, RIMS will align with AFERM for a two-day RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course. [1:02] On March 4th and 5th, we have a virtual workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", with Joe Milan. On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. [1:20] Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:27] Webinars. On March 6th, RIMS presents "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". We'll be joined by a Chief Risk Officer, an underwriter, and a broker. [1:42] They will explore their career paths, risk and safety philosophies, and lend some insight as to why this is the time for the next generation of leaders to rise. [1:53] On March 12th, Global Risk Consultants returns with "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes". Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:14] On with the Show! Our guest today is Cynthia Garcia. She is the Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. [2:22] Cynthia made a big impact on the risk landscape in 2025 when she received the Bill McIntyre Leadership Award from the International Risk Management Institute during its Construction Risk Conference. [2:35] I wanted to learn all about her career and what it's like to be the risk officer for a major construction company. [2:42] Earlier, I mentioned the March 6th RIMS Webinar, "Hard Hats and High Stakes," and Cynthia will, in fact, be the Chief Risk Officer mentioned there. [2:51] If you like what you hear in this episode and want to learn more about career development, construction risk, and why rising risk professionals should seize the opportunities in the construction sector, you can register for that Webinar. [3:04] Cynthia is a fascinating individual, and I am so pleased to present this interview! Let's get to it! [3:09] Interview! Cynthia Garcia, welcome to RIMScast! [3:27] Justin and Cynthia are going to be collaborating on a RIMS Webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats and High Stakes." It's all about how women have and can continue to thrive in construction risk management. Cynthia is the ideal Chief Risk Officer to have on that panel. [3:46] Justin thanks Cynthia in advance for being on that panel and being a guest on RIMScast. [4:07] Cynthia is the CRO for Bernards, based in California. [4:33] Like many in her generation, Cynthia stumbled into risk management. She started as an administrative assistant for Morley Builders, an amazing employee-owned general contractor in Santa Monica, California. [4:52] She was fortunate to have several sponsors and mentors within the organization. They helped her see that she belonged at the table. They saw something in her that she hadn't seen in herself, which is the beauty of a mentor. [5:16] In spaces she was not in, they advocated for her and said, Why don't we give this to Cynthia? That's the beauty of a sponsor. Cynthia says she was blessed to be in the right place at the right time. She was able to lean in. [5:32] Cynthia says that the thing that attracts her about risk management and what she does is finding the hard yes. Risk management doesn't say, "No." [5:50] Risk management, when practicing its craft, is fully integrated with operations and understanding what the business needs. It is strategically aligned and helps make sure the organization is making those thoughtful business decisions that allow taking risks. [6:11] Then, risk management takes it to the next step to ask how this adds to our shareholder equity, how this aligns with who we want to be as a company and as people. Risk management threads the needle between entrepreneurship and "cowboyism." [6:28] Risk management leads with "Help me understand, and help us get to the hard yes. We can do it, but here are some of the things we need to do to make sure that it's successful."  [6:50] Cynthia always likes to start by making sure she is coming in with a lot of curiosity. She asks for help to understand what she's not seeing to try to connect the dots. If Cynthia doesn't understand the needs of her business partners, she's not creating value. [7:11] Cynthia joined Bernards as Chief Risk Officer four years ago next month (March). Bernards created the position for her. She says she's blessed to work with talented people. She credits an amazing group of rockstar individuals. She says a rising tide lifts all boats. [8:00] Cynthia says her team carries the weight and does it beautifully. She says the genius of true leadership is understanding we're paving the way for our replacement. Leaders who are afraid of talent need to pause and rethink what that means. [8:26] Cynthia's Risk and Safety team has 13 staff members. [8:45] Cynthia has a VP of Risk and Safety who is definitely a genius at making the wheels turn. He is Cynthia's only direct report. He does an amazing job setting the tone and the pace. [9:03] Cynthia says, We focus on listening to the voices of our internal and external customers. As an employee-owned company, we try to understand what our business partners need, whether it's accounting, finance, human resources, operations, or estimating. [9:22] Cynthia focuses on what our business partners need from risk management to help achieve mission success. [9:27] Cynthia says, from day to day, it's everything from safety to claims, to insurance issues, to coverage questions, but a fair part of the job is when business teams proactively reach out with questions about issues that have come up. [9:50] Cynthia says the beauty of being in a smaller organization is that Risk Management is not siloed. It's not just insurance and claims but also litigation management and contracts. Risk partners closely with the CHRO on policies and employment practices. [10:13] Risk partners closely with Finance and Accounting on a variety of issues. Cynthia feels it is fortunate that Risk is viewed and valued as an internal resource to its business partners and part of the critical strategy to achieve the company's goals. [10:41] Bernards has a little fewer than 400 employee-owners. Cynthia credits Finance and Accounting for paying vendors on time and treating trade partners fairly. She credits Marketing for helping the brand, highlighting company accomplishments, and creating community buzz. [11:30] Cynthia credits the very customer-centric Tech team, who have helped her a lot, and the Virtual Construction Design team, who help with clash detection and getting ahead of constructability issues early on. [11:59] She notes the estimating team getting ahead of what's out there and making sure we have the right projects to go after. It takes a village. [12:14] Cynthia says we like to think all of us employee-owners have a vested interest in mission success. We're all in construction. [12:27] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [12:45] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [13:04] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for the RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C.! Join us in Washington, D.C. for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [13:20] Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for more information and to register. Also, check out the prior episode of RIMScast, Episode 378, featuring RIMS General Counsel and Vice President of External Affairs, Mark Prysock, as we discuss the top priorities for RIMS in 2026 and beyond. [13:41] Let's Return to Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia! [13:58] When Cynthia joined Bernards, there were about 10 people on the Risk and Safety team. Then they went into remodel mode, with a different strategic vision. Continuous improvement is a Bernards core value. It's a 52-year-old company with processes and talent in place. [14:27] Cynthia says we've been looking at the areas where we can have the greatest impact, picking off the low-hanging fruit first, and then building out processes that allow us to scale without reinventing ourselves every few years. [14:57] Cynthia says safety is our priority. Bernards added safety to its core values this year. Cynthia says it was a grass-roots movement. It percolated up through Operations and said, This is who we need to be. [15:24] Cynthia says a risk management team's job is to safeguard all the resources of the organization. That includes people and things, clients, and trade partners. The Risk and Safety team has a holistic view. They can't be good by themselves. They can't be safe by themselves. [15:42] For Cynthia, safety takes on a larger meaning than physical well-being, including creating spaces where people are allowed to be vulnerable. [15:57] Cynthia talks about leading with empathy, with top priority not only for physical safety but also for a psychologically safe environment, where you can show up, be seen, heard, and thrive. [16:41] Cynthia says she works on building connections through conflict. For what could be tough conversations, it helps if you are willing to check your ego at the door and come in curious. Cynthia often states her intention up front. [17:01] Cynthia might say, "My intention isn't to challenge you, it's to have you help me understand your perspective and help me see what I'm missing." Cynthia says she asks a billion questions because there is so much she doesn't know. She always tries to get with the "why." [17:32] Cynthia says, When I try to understand what it is that my counterpart needs to happen, then we can figure out the path forward together. As employee-owners, our goals are aligned. We're looking in the same direction. [17:52] Cynthia says, We may fuss with the GPS a little bit, but we know the destination is set and we have a commitment to one another. Once we are willing to shut up, listen, and ask the questions to learn, then we can figure out how to be of service. [18:16] Cynthia says her job isn't to convince, it's first to understand. [18:22] A Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [18:51] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [19:06] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [19:18] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:27] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia. [19:41] As Cynthia mentioned earlier, Bernards is employee-owned. Cynthia thinks that Bernards being 100% employee-owned makes all its employee-owners better businesspeople. The heart of risk management is making those good choices. [20:27] Looking across the table and knowing she is betting with her fellow owner's retirement, makes Cynthia think about that a little bit differently. She thinks the employee ownership structure lends itself to amazing risk management. [20:49] Cynthia says you have to be disciplined. You're not spending somebody else's money on this. We're working together, and when we all make good choices, we are ultimately rewarding ourselves and impacting future generational owners, too. That's quite meaningful. [21:09] Cynthia says it's the best of both worlds. You have the umbrella of a big company paying the bills, but you're rewarded for smart entrepreneurism. [21:27] Cynthia has a long-term view when making decisions. It's not about what's in it for her. It's how does this support who we want to be today, and who we want to try to be tomorrow? It makes us look further into the horizon. [22:24] May 4th through May 8th, 2026, is Safety Week, here in the U.S. That coincides with RISKWORLD 2026. Cynthia will be at RISKWORLD. [22:41] Cynthia says for Safety Week, Bernards has planned activities on each job site to highlight the good things that men and women are doing to build the communities in which they work and live, and doing them in such a way that they go home to families and loved ones. [23:01] Justin notes that settlements from construction site accident injuries can be astronomical. Part of Cynthia's job is to minimize accidents from the outset, which connects to Bernards' core value safety-first mindset. [23:34] Cynthia says client response has been amazing. Recently, one of the project executives at Bernards was invited to the school district and won an award acknowledging their efforts on safety. That felt good because it wasn't Bernards saying it, but the clients saying we see it. [23:58] Bernards has trademarked "A Better Experience." It's a phrase they are proud of. They're building not only to create a better experience for their employee-owners, but also for project success for owners who value safety. [24:15] Bernards is a large school builder, working on many programs up and down the state. Bernards is cognizant of the impact they are having on the future generation of leaders and citizens. They're very grateful to have that acknowledgement from their clients. It's special. [25:29] Cynthia says she is absolutely seeing more opportunities for women in risk management and in construction. Construction tends to be inclusive. It's an industry filled with optimists. Its people bring that can-do attitude. They are very generous and gracious with their support. [26:13] Cynthia says she has been in the risk profession for about 30 years. The demographics have changed, and she sees diversity in the new young talent permeating the industry. [27:10] Cynthia thinks the work that the Spencer Educational Foundation does in partnership with RIMS is tremendous. She says it is amazing that colleges and universities are offering the Risk Management and Insurance degree and concentration. Cynthia never heard of that before. [27:35] Cynthia says that people her age moved into risk management from adjacent areas. She is pleased that now people come into risk management intentionally. She talks about risk managers trying to figure out how to help businesses thrive and grow to the next level. [28:47] Cynthia is one of Spencer's Risk Managers on Campus. She explains how the grants to colleges work. Spencer works tirelessly to make sure the next generation of leaders know what an amazing career this is and the opportunities it offers. Cynthia is grateful to be part of it. [30:15] Justin mentions that other Risk Manager On Campus risk professionals have been guests on RIMScast, and they have inspiring stories to tell. They love reaching the young people who are going to be the future of the profession. [30:35] Megan Miller, Spencer CEO, was a recent RIMScast guest. Check out SpencerEd.org for grants and opportunities. If you know somebody interested, send them the link to explore. If they connect with people like Cynthia through the RMOC grant, their experience will be richer. [31:28] Cynthia came to Justin's attention through a LinkedIn post about her being honored as the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award recipient at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. [32:08] Cynthia says you're always a little bit surprised but so pleased when you get acknowledged by your peers. As IRMI is pre-eminent in the construction risk management space, it was more special to Cynthia, as she knew of the great work they did. [32:33] Cynthia remembers starting in risk management and going to them as a resource. She knows the people who make IRMI thrive. They're people Cynthia looks up to. She is very grateful that it was her turn to be acknowledged. She feels there are way more qualified folks out there! [33:41] Cynthia says she is an immigrant. English is her second language. She is Korean and grew up in a Confucianist household. In terms of philosophy, you should be seen, not heard. The collective win is celebrated. [34:06] Cynthia has had to work to get over the heebie-jeebies about self-promotion or what could be viewed as arrogance. She's working on it and doing better at accepting compliments. It's an opportunity to show others who are coming up behind her that diversity exists. [34:45] Cynthia says it's hard for us to visualize ourselves in a role without models who came before us. What are the opportunities that exist? Can I also think about this? Cynthia said the marketing team is genius. Justin said that was what caught his eye on LinkedIn. [35:19] Cynthia says she is very fortunate to be supported by so much talent and such a community that helps uplift you. [35:27] Justin comments that the "seen and not heard" thing is not just Confucianism, but also old-world Brooklynism. His old relatives said, "Children should be seen and not heard." [35:52] Cynthia says we all have shared experiences within our collective. People tend to focus on the differences. It is important to celebrate our differences, but there's so much more in common, regardless of the geography and the generation in which we were raised. [36:10] There is so much in shared value. Cynthia says she is constantly inspired by those stories of people who saw a different future or leaned into a hand up. That motivates her to try to be better and drives her. [36:35] Justin says posting is a networking opportunity too. If that post had not gone up, Justin would not have met Cynthia. It's a way to broaden your network and meet more people. Justin says it's OK to do a humblebrag. Justin is known as the shameless self-promoter. [37:11] Justin says it is very special when you are acknowledged outside your company. [37:20] Cynthia's post triggered a series of events, one of which is, in recognition of Women's History Month, RIMS will present the webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", with Cynthia as a featured panelist. [37:38] Cynthia will provide the CRO perspective. Also on the panel are Danette Beck from Astrus and Jessica Risullo from WTW. Cynthia shares how she knows these amazing, trailblazing women. Cynthia is grateful to be on a panel with them. They're rockstars! [38:47] Justin says it's going to be excellent! The link is in this episode's show notes, or visit RIMS.org/webinars. Megan Miller, the CEO of the Spencer Educational Foundation, will kick things off with a special introduction. [39:15] It's going to be a wonderful way to observe and celebrate Women's History Month, ahead of RISKWORLD and Construction Safety Awareness Week. [39:30] Justin thanks Cynthia for joining us on RIMScast, sharing with listeners her construction risk perspective and career path. There's a lot to take away. Justin thanks Cynthia for her perspective and her time. [39:45] Cynthia says she appreciates Justin and the work RIMS is doing to put a spotlight on our amazing industry and the opportunities that exist. She says she is grateful for the opportunities Justin and RIMS are creating and thoughtfully curating. [40:04] Special thanks again to Cynthia Garcia for joining us here on RIMScast. You can hear more from her directly on March 6th during the RIMS Webinar "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". [40:17] RIMS members, keep in mind that RIMS Webinars are complimentary for you. That is one of the many benefits of a RIMS membership. Visit RIMS.org/webinars and the link in this episode's show notes to register. That's going to be a fantastic session! [40:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [41:03] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [41:21] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [41:38] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [41:55] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [42:09] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [42:21] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Legislative Summit — March 18‒19, 2026 on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. | Register now! RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! 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Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam PrepMarch 10‒11 | April 21‒22 | June 9‒10 RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep with AFERM | March 17‒18 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS Virtual Workshop — "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making" | March 4‒5 | Register Now "Risk Appetite Management" | March 25‒26 "Claims Management" | April 7‒8 "Emerging Risks" | April 15 | Register Now! Upcoming RIMS Webinars: "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management" | March 6 | Presented by RIMS "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes" | March 12 | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants RIMS.org/Webinars   Related RIMScast Episodes: "Investing In Yourself with RIMS 2026 President Manny Padilla" "Strategic Risk Career Transitions with Susan Hiteshew" "Supply Chain Integrity and Sustainability with Nicole Sherwin of EcoVadis"   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: "Secondary Perils, Major Risks: The New Face of Weather-Related Challenges" | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) 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RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Manny Padilla!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: Cynthia Garcia, Risk Manager at Bernards   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.

In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom podcast, host Stewart Alsop sits down with Kelvin Lwin for their second conversation exploring the fascinating intersection of AI and Buddhist cosmology. Lwin brings his unique perspective as both a technologist with deep Silicon Valley experience and a serious meditation practitioner who's spent decades studying Buddhist philosophy. Together, they examine how AI development fits into ancient spiritual prophecies, discuss the dangerous allure of LLMs as potentially "asura weapons" that can mislead users, and explore verification methods for enlightenment claims in our modern digital age. The conversation ranges from technical discussions about the need for better AI compilers and world models to profound questions about humanity's role in what Lwin sees as an inevitable technological crucible that will determine our collective spiritual evolution. For more information about Kelvin's work on attention training and AI, visit his website at alin.ai. You can also join Kelvin for live meditation sessions twice daily on Clubhouse at clubhouse.com/house/neowise.Timestamps00:00 Exploring AI and Spirituality05:56 The Quest for Enlightenment Verification11:58 AI's Impact on Spirituality and Reality17:51 The 500-Year Prophecy of Buddhism23:36 The Future of AI and Business Innovation32:15 Exploring Language and Communication34:54 Programming Languages and Human Interaction36:23 AI and the Crucible of Change39:20 World Models and Physical AI41:27 The Role of Ontologies in AI44:25 The Asura and Deva: A Battle for Supremacy48:15 The Future of Humanity and AI51:08 Persuasion and the Power of LLMs55:29 Navigating the New Age of TechnologyKey Insights1. The Rarity of Polymath AI-Spirituality Perspectives: Kelvin argues that very few people are approaching AI through spiritual frameworks because it requires being a polymath with deep knowledge across multiple domains. Most people specialize in one field, and combining AI expertise with Buddhist cosmology requires significant time, resources, and academic background that few possess.2. Traditional Enlightenment Verification vs. Modern Claims: There are established methods for verifying enlightenment claims in Buddhist traditions, including adherence to the five precepts and overcoming hell rebirth through karmic resolution. Many modern Western practitioners claiming enlightenment fail these traditional tests, often changing the criteria when they can't meet the original requirements.3. The 500-Year Buddhist Prophecy and Current Timing: We are approximately 60 years into a prophesied 500-year period where enlightenment becomes possible again. This "startup phase of Buddhism revival" coincides with technological developments like the internet and AI, which are seen as integral to this spiritual renaissance rather than obstacles to it.4. LLMs as UI Solution, Not Reasoning Engine: While LLMs have solved the user interface problem of capturing human intent, they fundamentally cannot reason or make decisions due to their token-based architecture. The technology works well enough to create illusion of capability, leading people down an asymptotic path away from true solutions.5. The Need for New Programming Paradigms: Current AI development caters too much to human cognitive limitations through familiar programming structures. True advancement requires moving beyond human-readable code toward agent-generated languages that prioritize efficiency over human comprehension, similar to how compilers already translate high-level code.6. AI as Asura Weapon in Spiritual Warfare: From Buddhist cosmological perspective, AI represents an asura (demon-realm) tool that appears helpful but is fundamentally wasteful and disruptive to human consciousness. Humanity exists as the battleground between divine and demonic forces, with AI serving as a weapon that both sides employ in this cosmic conflict.7. 2029 as Critical Convergence Point: Multiple technological and spiritual trends point toward 2029 as when various systems will reach breaking points, forcing humanity to either transcend current limitations or be consumed by them. This timing aligns with both technological development curves and spiritual prophecies about transformation periods.

We're going to play our favorite game, GUESS THAT EASTERN RELIGION BASED ON THE QUOTE PROVIDED!!! In order to do this, I need to provide a very basic intro for Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

fWotD Episode 3171: Political philosophy Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 9 January 2026, is Political philosophy.Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. The field investigates different forms of government, ranging from democracy to authoritarianism, and the values guiding political action, like justice, equality, and liberty. As a normative field, political philosophy focuses on desirable norms and values, in contrast to political science, which emphasizes empirical description.Political ideologies are systems of ideas and principles that outline how society should work. Anarchism rejects the coercive power of centralized governments. It proposes a stateless society to promote liberty and equality. Conservatism seeks to preserve traditional institutions and practices. It is skeptical of the human ability to radically reform society, arguing that drastic changes can destroy the wisdom of past generations. Liberals advocate for individual rights and liberties, the rule of law, private property, and tolerance. They believe that governments should protect these values to enable individuals to pursue personal goals without external interference. Socialism emphasizes collective ownership and equal distribution of basic goods. It seeks to overcome sources of inequality, including private ownership of the means of production, class systems, and hereditary privileges. Other strands of political philosophy include environmentalism, realism, idealism, consequentialism, perfectionism, nationalism, individualism, and communitarianism.Political philosophers rely on various methods to justify and criticize knowledge claims. Particularists use a bottom-up approach and systematize individual judgments, whereas foundationalists employ a top-down approach and construct comprehensive systems from a small number of basic principles. One foundationalist approach uses theories about human nature as the basis for political ideologies. Universalists assert that basic moral and political principles apply equally to every culture, a view rejected by cultural relativists.Political philosophy has its roots in antiquity, such as the theories of Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greek philosophy, with discussions on the nature of justice and ideal states. Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism emerged in ancient Chinese philosophy, while Hindu and Buddhist political thought developed in ancient India, each offering distinct views on the foundations of the social order and statecraft. Political philosophy in the medieval period was characterized by the interplay between ancient Greek thought and religion in both the Christian and Islamic worlds. The modern period marked a shift towards secularism as diverse schools of thought developed, such as social contract theory, liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, Marxism, and anarchism.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:15 UTC on Friday, 9 January 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Political philosophy on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Joanna.

The Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) stands as the bloodiest civil war in human history, claiming an estimated 20–30 million lives and reshaping 19th-century China. It was ignited by Hong Xiuquan, a failed civil service exam candidate from Guangdong, who experienced profound visions in 1837. Interpreting these as divine messages, Hong believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, tasked with establishing a "Heavenly Kingdom" on Earth. Influenced by fragmented Christian teachings from Protestant missionaries, he converted and began preaching a unique blend of Christianity, Confucianism, and anti-Manchu sentiments. The rebellion's roots lay in widespread discontent against the Qing Dynasty, fueled by economic hardships, opium addiction from the Opium Wars, corruption, overpopulation, and ethnic tensions between Han Chinese and Manchu rulers. Hong's Taiping Heavenly Kingdom attracted millions of followers, including peasants, women, and ethnic minorities, promising land reform, gender equality, and the abolition of foot-binding and opium. Starting in Guangxi, the Taiping forces rapidly expanded, capturing Nanjing in 1853 as their capital. They implemented radical reforms but faced brutal opposition from Qing armies, aided by foreign powers like Britain and France, who intervened to protect trade interests despite initial neutrality. The conflict featured massive battles, sieges, and atrocities on both sides. The rebellion weakened the Qing Dynasty, paving the way for its eventual fall in 1911. Hong's death in 1864 and the recapture of Nanjing marked the end, but the Taiping legacy endures in discussions of millenarian movements, religious fervor, and social upheaval.

Understanding Taoism with Jason Gregory Jason Gregory is a student of the world's spiritual traditions. He is the author of The Science and Practice of Humility. Jason Gregory is an author, philosopher, and teacher whose work draws from Eastern philosophy, comparative religion, psychology, cognitive science, metaphysics, and ancient cultures, bridging timeless wisdom with contemporary understanding. Jason Gregory explores the essence of Taoism, emphasizing its critique of social conditioning and its guidance toward naturalness, spontaneity, and effortless being. He explains how Taoist ideas intersect with Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and wider metaphysical traditions, revealing a shared vision of an undivided reality beneath cultural structures. Gregory also discusses practices such as wu wei, aimless wandering, and inner alchemy as pathways for aligning with the Dao in modern life. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on **** 00, 2025) Check out New Thinking Allowed’s AI chatbot. You can create a free account at awakin.ai/open/jeffreymishlove. When you enter the space, you will see that our chatbot is one of several you can interact with. While it is still a work in progress, it has been trained on 1,600 NTA transcripts. It can provide intelligent answers about the contents of our interviews. It’s almost like having a conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove. For a short video on How to Get the Most From New Thinking Allowed, go to For a complete, updated list with links to all of our videos, see https://newthinkingallowed.com/Listings.htm. Check out the New Thinking Allowed Foundation website at http://www.newthinkingallowed.org. There you will find our incredible, searchable database as well as opportunities to shop and to support our video productions – plus, this is where people can subscribe to our FREE, weekly Newsletter and can download a FREE .pdf copy of our quarterly magazine. To order high-quality, printed copies of our quarterly magazine: https://nta-magazine.magcloud.com/ If you would like to join our team of volunteers, helping to promote the New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel on social media, editing and translating videos, creating short video trailers based on our interviews, helping to upgrade our website, or contributing in other ways (we may not even have thought of), please send an email to friends@newthinkingallowed.com. To join the NTA Psi Experience Community on Facebook, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953031791426543/ To download and listen to audio versions of the New Thinking Allowed videos, please visit our new podcast at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/new-thinking-allowed-audio-podcast/id1435178031. You can help support our video productions while enjoying a good book. To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: Is There Life After Death? click on https://amzn.to/3LzLA7Y (As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.) To order the second book in the New Thinking Allowed Dialogues series, Russell Targ: Ninety Years of ESP, Remote Viewing, and Timeless Awareness, go to https://amzn.to/4aw2iyr To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: UFOs and UAP – Are We Really Alone?, go to https://amzn.to/3Y0VOVh To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/41jIX1o To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/4oOUJLn Download and read Jeffrey Mishlove’s Grand Prize essay in the Bigelow Institute competition, Beyond the Brain: The Survival of Human Consciousness After Permanent Bodily Death, go to https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/docs/1st.pdf To order a copy of The Science and Practice of Humility: The Path to Ultimate, by Jason Gregory, goto https://amzn.to/4400PQj

In this second episode of our series on Korean Cults, we trace the tangled roots of Korea's modern messianic movements—shaped by Jeong Deuk-eun (“The Great Holy Mother”) and Kim Baek-moon—gave birth to a new religion that blended Confucianism, Taoism, and Christian language into a syncretic gospel of bloodline purification and “True Bloodline Lineage. We then follow how this ideology influenced later leaders like Jung Myung-seok (JMS) and Park Tae-seon of the Olive Tree Movement, revealing the disturbing legacy of Korean messiahship and political infiltration that continues today through groups like the Moonies, Shincheonji, and WMSCOG. We're joined by Pastor Yang, Adjunct Professor of New Testament at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, who holds a Doctor of Theology in New Testament and served as a Visiting Scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2023–2024). Also joining us is Chris, a former member of Shincheonji and returning Cultish guest, who shares his firsthand experience and ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the growing global influence of Korean cults. Together, we expose how the False Christs of Korea: The Unification Church and the Olive Tree Legacy which redefined the Gospel, replaced biblical revelation with self-proclaimed messiahs, and continue to shape Korea's—and the world's—spiritual landscape today.Partner With Us & Be Part of the Mission to Change Lives: HERESHOP OUR MERCH: HEREPlease consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel: CultishTV.comCultish is a 100% crowdfunded ministry. -- Email Chris & Pastor Yang: biblev@daum.net Chris@examiningthecults.org Chris's Website: HEREChris's YouTube: HEREPastor Yang's YouTube: HERE

In this episode we unpack the ancient Chinese classic, "The Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu from circa 400 BCEThis book explores...*The art of not over-doing*The cyclical nature of all things *Acting in accordance with the nature of realityHost: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guest: Amon Greene amonra16.ag@gmail.comIntro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free PDF of the book: Red Pine TranslationResources MentionedTao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts (book)Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland (book)Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong (book)Timestamps0:00 Introduction4:51 Amon's background 10:10 Historical Context of the Tao Te Ching11:50 Confucianism vs. Taoism15:38 Wu Wei22:25 Going with the flow27:26 De37:22 Wu Wei Government39:56 Wu Wei vs. Flow42:33 Restraint of taking action46:29 “The Tao that can be spoken is not the Eternal Tao”51:10 Mistaking the word for the thing 55:37 Yin and Yang1:03:15 The cyclical nature of everything1:10:55 Wrapping up1:15:09 Outro

This lesson presents a presuppositional critique of 'imminent moralism'—a category of religions like Confucianism and Buddhism that prioritize moral codes for this life without appealing to transcendent authority. It argues that such systems fail the PIA (Preconditions of Intelligibility, Inconsistency, and Arbitrariness) test: they lack a transcendent foundation to justify moral absolutes, are inconsistent in their own teachings (e.g., rejecting souls while affirming karma), and are arbitrary in their claims to authority, as no human figure can objectively validate their moral codes. The lesson further shows that these religions cannot account for the uniformity of nature, the reliability of logic, or the possibility of moral transformation, and their historical consequences—such as rigid social hierarchies or suppression of scientific progress—reveal their practical failure. In contrast, Christianity alone provides a coherent worldview grounded in a personal, transcendent God who offers both objective moral law and the transformative grace of regeneration and justification, making it the only system capable of meeting the preconditions of intelligibility and offering true redemption.

In this short (2-8), Master Steenrod unpacks Taoism's elusive stance on morality. What happens when a tradition without heaven or hell meets the moral hierarchies of Confucianism and the rituals of Buddhism?Discover how early Taoism resisted becoming a system of control, how politics turned ritual into power, and why “the noodle got spicy” when belief met bureaucracy.It's a journey through ancient temples, statecraft, and the human need to define right and wrong—told with humor, insight, and unmistakable Taoist calm. Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

Taoism isn't evangelical — it's adaptable. In this short, Master Steenrod explains how the tradition has endured for thousands of years by “spicing the noodle”: blending with Buddhism, Confucianism, and even modern science without losing its flavor. Discover why Taoism calls itself a human method, not a divine truth — and how that flexibility keeps it alive in every age.

This week, we're finishing our time with Kawai Koume by looking at how life in Wakayama had changed by the mid-1870s. Feudalism is no more, Confucianism is a historical relic, and the samurai class are in the midst of being consigned to the dustbin of history; so what is Koume thinking and doing as she's watching the world she grew up with vanish in the final years of her life? Show notes here.  

Jun Bum Sun joins me to talk about Korea's unique energy, pungryo, its history, and the healing power of music. We cover Choi Chi Won, Tangun, the Hwarang, Shamanism, Choe Je-u, Tongdo Sogi, AI, K-pop, North Korea, Taoism, and the world ahead. This episode was recorded in Bum Sun's book shop in Haebangchon. Find the video online and you can see the wonderful setting we recorded in as well as his dog 왕손 walking around.    Find Him Online Jun Bum Sun: https://www.instagram.com/junbumsun/ The Yangbans: https://www.instagram.com/yangbansmusic/   Discussion Outline  0:00 History as Therapy 9:33 The Taeguk 17:35 Where Do We Come From? 26:30 The Power of Music 40:20 Confucianism 48:40 Tangun as a Shaman 55:30 Wind and Flow (Pungryo) 59:40 The Donghak 1:13:10 Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism 1:20:25 North Korea 1:38:40 The Samguk Yusa   David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.   Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076   Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos  Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark   Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed   Listen to Korea Deconstructed ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128 ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com 

We are very excited to welcome Prof. Lisa Dombrowski to our podcast! She is a Professor of Film Studies and East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University. She's the author of the books: The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I'll Kill You! (2008), the editor of Kazan Revisited (2011), and co-editor of ReFocus: The Later Works and Legacy of Robert Altman (2022). (Ben worked on that last one!) We took Lisa's fantastic film classes and she's a big reason this podcast exists, and why we talk about movies the way we do. (You can read more about the podcast's origin story on Patreon!) Together, we preview a newly restored film showing at the upcoming New York Film Festival and M+ Restored programmes, T'ang Shushuen's The Arch, which Lisa teaches in her classes. Lisa shares with us the film's unconventional transnational production context, and we have an in-depth discussion about the film's groundbreaking use of film form to portray female subjectivity. Eli highlights the film's use of deep staging, Wilson compares the film with Ann Hui's A Simple Life (2011), and Ben explains what he means by an “oyako-don” pantheon.Links:Read more about and get tickets for the M+ Restored programmeScreening in NYC for NYFF at Film at Lincoln CenterObey your ancestors at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps:00:01:36 Introducing Prof. Lisa Dombrowski00:06:48 M+ Restored00:09:39 Context on director Tang Shu-shuen and The Arch00:11:16 Lisa's relationship with The Arch00:17:16 General reactions00:23:30 Adaptation and subjectivity00:26:06 Subtitles00:28:06 Female gaze and melodramatic situation00:30:28 The opening setup00:33:28 Cinematography context00:40:28 Love triangle and deep staging00:43:34 Plum scene00:52:37 Source material00:55:28 Cultural context and societal norms01:00:04 River scene and Mid-Autumn Festival01:03:39 A Simple Life (2011) sidebar, subjective realism01:07:25 Confucianism and social conditioning01:10:29 Loom scene01:13:04 Editing for meaning01:16:32 The arch, the ending, the takeaway01:24:57 Fractured images and liminal spaces01:30:15 Lisa Lu and casting01:31:32 The film's reception01:33:56 Tang's approach01:39:03 Cultural identity, transnational cinema, aesthetic expectations01:43:32 Tang's career post The Arch01:46:05 Outro

7 Simple Ways To Outsmart Anyone (Win Without Fighting) - Sun Tzu (Taoism). In this podcast we will talk about How To Outsmart Everybody Else from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. So with that in mind, here are 7 Simple Ways To Outsmart Anyone from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu-  01. Know Yourself and Know Your Opponent 02. Win Without Fighting 03. Use Deception 04. Control the Terrain 05. Use Speed and Surprise 06. Exploit Emotions 07. Prepare for the Worst We hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope this video, from the philosophy of Sun Tzu, helps you outsmart anyone Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who lived more than 2,500 years ago. Though much of his life remains a mystery, he is said to have followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. He's best known for a book called The Art of War, a classic text on military strategy and tactics. Even though it was written for military leaders, people still read it today for advice on leadership, business, sports, and personal growth. What made Sun Tzu different was how he thought about winning. He believed the smartest victory is a victory won without fighting. Success came from careful planning, calm thinking, and knowing both yourself and your opponent. He taught that strength isn't always about pushing harder—it's about stepping back, seeing clearly, and acting at the right moment.

In this thought-provoking episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and co-host Mike Sorg engage in a profound exploration of the core values shared by the world's major faiths—from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, to Taoism. Amid global conflict and division, the hosts reflect on the universal threads of compassion, humility, charity, integrity, and justice that connect these traditions. They challenge listeners to look beyond dogma and doctrine and focus on our shared humanity—especially in times of violence and suffering.

In this thought-provoking episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and co-host Mike Sorg engage in a profound exploration of the core values shared by the world's major faiths—from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, to Taoism. Amid global conflict and division, the hosts reflect on the universal threads of compassion, humility, charity, integrity, and justice that connect these traditions. They challenge listeners to look beyond dogma and doctrine and focus on our shared humanity—especially in times of violence and suffering.

In this podcast we will talk about How To Build Your Self Discipline from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. So with that in mind, here are 6 ways To  Build Your Self Discipline from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu-  01. Master Yourself First 02. Think Strategically, Not Emotionally 03. Discipline Is in Preparation 04. Use Deception with Purpose 05. Adapt Without Losing Purpose 06. Lead Yourself Like a General We hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope this video, from the philosophy of Sun Tzu, helps you build your self discipline. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who lived more than 2,500 years ago. Though much of his life remains a mystery, he is said to have followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. He's best known for a book called The Art of War, a classic text on military strategy and tactics. Even though it was written for military leaders, people still read it today for advice on leadership, business, sports, and personal growth. What made Sun Tzu different was how he thought about winning. He believed the smartest victory is a victory won without fighting. Success came from careful planning, calm thinking, and knowing both yourself and your opponent. He taught that strength isn't always about pushing harder—it's about stepping back, seeing clearly, and acting at the right moment.

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Ian James Kidd is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. Most of his current research concerns epistemology, virtues and vices, misanthropy (on which he is writing a book) and pessimism, and south and east Asian philosophies, especially Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism.In this episode, we talk about philosophical misanthropy. We first discuss what it is, the failing of humanity, and whether most people are decent. We then talk about the relationship between vices, corruption, and misanthropy; and religious and secular misanthropy. We discuss the different types of misanthropes: the activist, the enemy, the fugitive, and the quietist. Finally, we discuss if there could be a fifth type, who would simply embrace the evils of humanity, and how we can deal with humanity's malevolence without losing hope.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航 豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, AND CHARLOTTE ALLEN!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, AND PER KRAULIS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

In this episode, Stewart Alsop speaks with Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science, about the deep cultural roots of question-asking and curiosity. From ancient Sumerian tablets to the philosophical legacies of Socrates and Descartes, the conversation spans how different civilizations have valued inquiry, the cross-cultural psychology of AI, and what makes humans unique in our drive to ask “why.” For more, explore Edouard's work at www.edouardmachery.com.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversationTimestamps00:00 – 05:00 Origins of question-asking, Sumerian writing, norms in early civilizations, authority and written text05:00 – 10:00 Values in AI across cultures, RLHF, tech culture in the Bay Area vs. broader American values10:00 – 15:00 Cross-cultural AI study: Taiwan vs. USA, privacy and collectivism, urban vs. rural mindset divergence15:00 – 20:00 History of curiosity in the West, from vice to virtue post-15th century, link to awe and skepticism20:00 – 25:00 Magic, alchemy, and experimentation in early science, merging maker and scholarly traditions25:00 – 30:00 Rise of public dissections, philosophy as meta-curiosity, Socratic questioning as foundational30:00 – 35:00 Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—transmission of philosophical curiosity, human uniqueness in questioning35:00 – 40:00 Language, assertion, imagination, play in animals vs. humans, symbolic worlds40:00 – 45:00 Early moderns: Montaigne, Descartes, rejection of Aristotle, rise of foundational science45:00 – 50:00 Confucianism and curiosity, tradition and authority, contrast with India and Buddhist thought50:00 – 55:00 Epistemic virtues project, training curiosity, philosophical education across cultures, spiritual curiosityKey InsightsCuriosity hasn't always been a virtue. In Western history, especially through Christian thought until the 15th century, curiosity was viewed as a vice—something dangerous and prideful—until global exploration and scientific inquiry reframed it as essential to human understanding.Question-asking is culturally embedded. Different societies place varying emphasis on questioning. While Confucian cultures promote curiosity within hierarchical structures, Christian traditions historically linked it with sin—except when directed toward divine matters.Urbanization affects curiosity more than nationality. Machery found that whether someone lives in a city or countryside often shapes their mindset more than their cultural background. Cosmopolitan environments expose individuals to diverse values, prompting greater openness and inquiry.AI ethics reveals cultural alignment. In studying attitudes toward AI in the U.S. and Taiwan, expected contrasts in privacy and collectivism were smaller than anticipated. The urban, global culture in both countries seems to produce surprisingly similar ethical concerns.The scientific method emerged from curiosity. The fusion of the maker tradition (doing) and the scholarly tradition (knowing) in the 13th–14th centuries helped birth experimentation, public dissection, and eventually modern science—all grounded in a spirit of curiosity.Philosophy begins with meta-curiosity. From Socratic questioning to Plato's dialogues and Aristotle's treatises, philosophy has always been about asking questions about questions—making “meta-curiosity” the core of the discipline.Only humans ask why. Machery notes that while animals can make requests, they don't seem to ask questions. Humans alone communicate assertions and engage in symbolic, imaginative, question-driven thought, setting us apart cognitively and culturally.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network.

What does “Daoism” refer to in a range of contexts, and how have excavated texts changed our understanding of the tensions between Daoism and Confucianism?

My guest for Episode #529 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Scott Gauvin, CEO of Macresco and co-creator of the Respect for People Roadmap. Episode page with video, transcript, and more With 30 years of experience leading operational transformations across sectors including biotech, pharma, agriculture, and manufacturing, Scott brings both a systems mindset and a people-first philosophy to his work. His journey into Lean began with frustration over leadership that blamed people rather than fixing systems—sparking a personal quest to better integrate continuous improvement with what he calls the “practice” of respect for people. In this episode, Scott shares the evolution of his thinking and how it culminated in the Respect for People Roadmap, a structured learning experience designed to operationalize cultural change through nine actionable behaviors. We explore the difference between “respecting people” as an individual action and “respect for people” as a system-level design principle. Scott also challenges the common notion that respect must be earned, arguing instead that every human being is inherently worthy of it—an idea rooted in his research on Confucian influences within Toyota's founding culture. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone struggling to move beyond Lean tools and truly build a culture of continuous improvement grounded in human dignity. We also touch on how these ideas align with the Shingo Model, why so many transformations fail to stick, and how organizations can design systems that scale respect—without waiting for permission from the top. Check the links below to learn more and access Scott's free “test drive” version of the Roadmap. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What's your origin story with Lean and operational excellence? What drew you to explore the “respect for people” pillar more deeply? How do you distinguish between “respect for people” and “respecting people”? Why do so many interpretations of “respect” default to hierarchy or politeness? How should leaders approach differences in how individuals define respect? Is it a mistake to assume respect must be earned rather than given? What are your thoughts on the phrase “better to be respected than liked”? How do challenge, kaizen, and respect interrelate in Toyota thinking? What did your research uncover about Confucianism's influence on Lean? How does the concept of “respect for people” show up in system design? What inspired the creation of the Respect for People Roadmap? What are the three key behavioral principles embedded in the Roadmap? What makes this program scalable and sustainable across organizations? Why was it important that the nine behaviors require no leader permission? How do you respond to the idea that “respect for people” should be translated as “respect for humanity”? Are you looking to pilot the Roadmap in healthcare settings? What would transformation look like if it were truly resilient—not dependent on a single leader This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Regina Linke was born and raised in Texas, and she always enjoyed the creative arts, but she didn't learn traditional Chinese painting until after moving with her young family to Taiwan in her mid-thirties. Holding management degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Cornell University, she worked in marketing technology and information systems for the travel and tourism industry. Now, however, she creates and illustrates stories that celebrate East Asian folklore and philosophy in an accessible way. Her most notable creations are the characters from The Oxherd Boy, a single-panel, webcomic that started on Instagram. A young boy, his family ox, and a rabbit living in his garden convey the three core schools of Classical Chinese thought: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The best-selling collection of these inspirational pieces called THE OXHERD BOY: Parables of Love, Compassion, and Community released in 2024, and was followed in 2025 by its first original story for children called Big Enough. A second picture book, Little Helper expanding on this world is slated for release in Summer 2026. Here's a link for behind the scenes of her painting: https://oxherdboy.org/pages/digital-painting And here's a link if you'd like to purchase "Big Enough": https://oxherdboy.org/pages/big-enough  

The Doctrine of the Mean (Chinese: 中庸, Pinyin: Zhōngyōng, Korean: 중용, Japanese: 中庸, Vietnamese: Trung Dung) is also one of the Four Books (四書) of Confucianism. It consists of 33 chapters attributed to Zisi (子思), the only grandson of Confucius, with interspersed notes by Zhu Xi. Zhu Xi's master, Cheng Yi, says, "Being without inclination to either side is called Zhong; admitting of no change is called Yong. By Zhong is denoted the correct course to be pursued by all under heaven; by Yong is denoted the fixed principle regulating all under heaven. This work contains the law of the mind, which was handed down from one to another, in the Confucian school, till Zisi, fearing lest in the course of time errors should arise about it, committed it to writing, and delivered it to Mencius. The book first speaks of one principle; it next spreads this out, and embraces all things; finally, it returns and gathers them all up under the one principle. Unroll it, and it fills the universe; roll it up, and it retires and lies hid in mysteriousness. The relish of it is inexhaustible. The whole of it is solid learning. When the skillful reader has explored it with delight till he has apprehended it, he may carry it into practice all his life, and will find that it cannot be exhausted." Scottish translator James Legge was a Hong Kong missionary, Nonconformist pastor of the English Union Church, and the first professor of Chinese studies at Oxford University. Cover: Queen Mother of the West Visits Confucius by cartoonist Robin Bougie (2025), released by him into the public domain.

Dr. Adam Francisco, author, “One God, Many Gods” One God, Many Gods The post Christianity and Other World Religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto and Sikhism – Dr. Adam Francisco, 6/2/25 (1532, Encore) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Mencius (c. 371–289 BC) was a prominent Confucian philosopher known as the “Second Sage” after Confucius. He emphasized the innate goodness of human nature, advocating for humane governance, moral cultivation, and the welfare of citizens. His teachings greatly influenced Confucianism and later Neo-Confucian thought.

An interview on the contrasting views of Mohists and Confucians on ethical duties and warfare.

Mozi, a prominent Chinese philosopher during the Warring States period, founded Mohism, a school of thought emphasizing universal love, meritocracy, anti-war principles, and consequentialist ethics. He advocated for frugality, social welfare, and pragmatic governance guided by Heaven's will.

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your request here:https://joniandfriends.org/contact-us/?department=Radio --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

What is the meaning of love in modern Chinese politics? Why has 愛 ai (love) been a crucial political discourse for secular nationalism for generations of political leaders as a powerful instrument to the present day? Religion, Secularism, and Love as a Political Discourse in Modern China (Amsterdam University Press, 2025) offers the first systematic examination of the ways in which the notion of love has been introduced, adapted, and engineered as a political discourse for the building and rebuilding of a secular modern nation, all the while appropriating Confucianism, Christianity, popular religion, ghost stories, political religion, and their religious affects. The insights of this exploration expand not only the discussion of the role of emotions in the project of Chinese modernity, but also the study of affective governance and religious nationalisms around the world today. Author Ting Guo is Assistant Professor of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong and book reviewer editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. She co-hosts a podcast called 時差 in-betweenness. The episode is hosted by Ailin Zhou, PhD student in Film & Digital Media at University of California - Santa Cruz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In our final episode on classical Confucianism, our interview guest tells us about the surprising moral depth of the concept of "etiquette"

Breaking free from cause-and-effect and the formal ideas of Confucianism, Alan Watts describes mutual arising as the key idea of the Tao.Today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/alan and get on your way to being your best self.This time on Being in the Way, Alan Watts describes:Chinese philosophies of Taoism and ConfucianismOur roles in social life and Confucianism as the way for people involved in the worldTaoism as the way for those who do not prescribe to formal patternsHow the Taoist goes with nature rather than against natureIdeologies of God as a ruler or a lord versus the Taoist perspectiveExperiences in terms of their polar experience (loud vs. soft)Mutual arising as they key idea of the TaoMan as being within nature rather than dominating itHow Taoism gets rid of karma without challenging itThe Chinese philosophy of timeSensing the flow of the present and flow of the TaoThis series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation. Visit Alanwatts.org for full talks from Alan Watts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can classical Confucianism be redeemed from its reputation for rigidly hierarchical thinking when it comes to the relationship between men and women?

Were Confucian ideas about Heaven, ritual, and fate driven by a religious attitude, or a naturalistic one?

Dr. Adam Francisco, author, “One God, Many Gods” One God, Many Gods The post Christianity and Other World Religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto and Sikhism – Dr. Adam Francisco, 12/9/24 (3442) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

For Christians, the Bible is a book inspired by God. But it has been received by different cultures and language groups in (sometimes) radically different ways.  Following Jesus's departing instruction to go out into the world, the Bible has been a book in motion from its very beginnings, and every community it has encountered has read, heard, and seen the Bible through its own language and culture.  It was spread by merchants, missionaries, and colonizers Asia, Africa, and to the Americas. Local communities adapted the "alien" book through a blend of cultural integration and reinterpretation. For instance, 20th-century Chinese theologians described similarities between Confucianism and biblical texts, while Native Americans placed themselves directly into biblical narratives—a group of 18th-century Mohican converts renamed themselves Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, proclaiming themselves "patriarchs of a new nation of believers."Today's guest is Bruce Gordon, author of “The Bible: A Global History.” We discuss the story of the Bible's journey around the globe and across more than two thousand years, showing how it has shaped and been shaped by changing beliefs and believers' different needs. The people who received it interpreted it in radically different ways, from desert monasteries and Chinese house churches, Byzantine cathedrals and Guatemalan villages.

His name is now a term that means traitor. That's because after two decades of working for the Norwegian government in various roles, he collaborated with Hitler and the Nazi party, welcomed the German occupation of his country. Research: “Biddle Tells Quisling His Power Wanes.” The Herald Press. April 1, 1943. https://www.newspapers.com/image/363504037/?match=1&terms=vidkun%20quisling Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part one of four.” The Norwegian American. March 20, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part two of four.” The Norwegian American. April 3, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-2/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part three of four.” The Norwegian American. April 17, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-3/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part four of four.” The Norwegian American. May 1, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-4/ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Vidkun Quisling". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vidkun-Abraham-Lauritz-Jonsson-Quisling Dahl, Hans Fredrik, and Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife, translator. “Quisling: A Study in Treachery.” Cambridge University Press. 1999. Groot, J.J.M. de. “Religion in China: Universism, a key to the study of Taoism and Confucianism.” New York. Putnam. 1912. https://archive.org/details/religioninchina00groouoft/page/n13/mode/2up Hope, Michael. “Whitewashing a Puppet.” The Bolton News. April 15, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1052599254/?match=1&terms=quisling Hoyt, Harlowe R. “Gave Treason Another Name.” The Plain Dealer. October 13, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1059633943/?match=1&terms=vidkun%20quisling Jewish Doctor Testifies Today at Quisling Trial.” Macon Chronicle-Herald. Aug. 23, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/81226988/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Judge Irked by Quisling During Trial.” The Salem News. Aug. 21, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/84879107/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial LoBello, Nina. “Mrs. Traitor's House.” The Courier-Journal. July 6, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/109140240/?match=1&terms=quisling “Praise for Quisling Called False History.” Ottowa Citizen. July 10, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/459202980/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Denies Having Norwegian Leader Murdered.” Belleville Daily Advocate. Aug. 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/768360537/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Grows Hysterical; Letters Tell of Treachery.” The Sentinel of Winston-Salem. August 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/933856899/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Hysterical at Trial for Treason.” Globe-Gazette. Aug, 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/391322402/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Is as Quisling Does.” Winnipeg Tribune. May 14, 1940. https://www.newspapers.com/image/37529988/?match=1&terms=%22Quisling%20is%20as%20Quisling%20Does%22 “Quisling Sobs Denial of Murder Charge.” St. Cloud Times. Aug. 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/222063849/ Quisling's Trial Begins; State Charges Treason.” The Dayton Herald. Aug. 20, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/392367670/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Read German Document at Quisling Trial.” The Bee. August 21, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/962372254/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial Ueland, Brenda. “Brenda Ueland Sees Ruge, Norway's Hero, at Trial of Quisling.” Minneapolis Daily Times. Aug. 29. https://www.newspapers.com/image/813998739/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Vidkun Quisling.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/vidkun-quisling-1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.