Analects (Confucius) - 1.9-1.12

Sometimes, I wish that the Analects had more reasoning behind them. The pieces of advice are good, I think, but they lack any support. I believe that most ancient tracts are like this, including Plato's Republic, which although often heralded as an iconic piece of classical reasoning and philosophy, lacks robust logical processes in supporting its points. Today, I reflected on verses 1.9-1.12.

1.9

This verse instructs readers to be respectful towards death and …

Analects (Confucius) - 1.5-1.8

I had an argument with my mother last week over essentially 'filial piety', which put me off of reading the Analects for a while. However, I now feel like it's doubly important to read the Analects while having conflicts with my parents. It's important to see where they're coming from, whether I disagree with them or not. I'm trying my best to read the Analects with an open mind. So, as I did before, I …

Analects (Confucius) - 1.1-1.4

The first couple verses of Book 1: That was a strange experience. It was like reading Leviticus from the Bible: a string of seemingly unrelated pieces of advice (or in Leviticus's case, laws). I see what the introduction meant about the disorganization. According to the introduction, this book was meant to be a brief introduction to the basic tenets of Confucianism, which makes sense, because the topics covered were broad and not yet examined in …

Analects (Confucius) - Introduction

Today, I started reading Analects, by Confucius. My family comes from Korea, where Confucianism has a very strong cultural influence, and I feel that it may be helpful in understanding more about my family’s background as well as the influences that have shaped my own life. The edition I am reading can be found here, and is available for free. Thank you, Dr. Robert Eno, for providing this translation.

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Today, I read the …

War and Peace (Tolstoy) - Ch 1-6

The last time I took a crack at this book was in 5th grade. I gave up after the first three chapters—I remember that my primary complaint had been that the names all blended together—but now, I feel like I can understand what's going on a lot better than before. "‹The names still blend together—there are so many characters—but I'm definitely much better able to keep track of the plot and the families. Having taken …