Multiculturalism: The Investigation of Things and Philippians 4:8

Multiculturalism can be much more than the appreciation of another culture’s music, art, or food.  Synergy between two cultures is the true fruit of multiculturalism.  An example of synergy between Eastern and Western cultures is demonstrated by a study of Philippians 4:8, a Christian work, with the “investigation of things,” a Confucian method.

The “investigation of things” is an important part of The Great Learning.  In America we would assume the investigation of things would be a scientific investigation.  But The Great Learning is a Confucian work, so the investigation of things is an inquiry into moral principles.  It is a search for the moral principle, Li, permeating the world.  This study of Philippians reveals hidden depths within this Bible verse, proving Confucian methods can benefit Americans.

As a Christian student of Confucianism I have found Confucianism very compatible with Christianity.  They are not equivalent, but Confucianism is complementary and synergistic with Christianity.

We can apply the investigation of things to Philippians 4:8 by remembering Li in its roots refers to “pattern” and restructure the verse to look for patterns.

“…whatever is true,

      whatever is noble,

      whatever is right,

      whatever is pure,

      whatever is lovely,

      whatever is admirable –

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy –

think about such things.”

Notice the words:  “true, noble, right” align with the three validity claims identified by the philosopher Jurgen Habermas in his Theory of Communicative Action:  (1) a validity claim to truth, (2) a validity claim to truthfulness, and (3) a validity claim to rightness (appropriateness).

A validity claim to truth means the speaker postulates some statement to be objectively true.  A validity claim to truthfulness postulates the speaker is trustworthy, that he is not intending to deceive.  A validity claim to rightness means the statement will lead to something practicable, something appropriate, something acceptable, or something that feels right.  These three validity claims of Habermas align well with the three modes of persuasion named by Aristotle in his work On Rhetoric:  logos, ethos, and pathos.

There seems to be symmetry between the three validity claims and the three assessments of beauty in Philippians 4:8.  Finding something pure is like an objective assessment of truth.  Finding something lovely is an assessment of the character of the object of beauty by the beholder, similar to finding a person trustworthy.  Finding something admirable is an emotional or personal assessment of the beautiful object, similar to finding a statement acceptable or appropriate.

Here is a table showing the relationships we are discussing.  Notice the alignment of truth and beauty.

The relationship between truth and beauty brings to mind this line from the poem Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats:  “’Beauty is truth, truth beauty’ – that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.”  At first we think we have six separate measures:  true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.  Now we realize one thing can meet all six criteria simultaneously and thus be both true and beautiful

Matthew Arnold comes to mind when thinking next about the expression, “if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”  Matthew Arnold, in Culture and Anarchy, said culture is getting to know “the best that has been said and thought in the world.”  Culture is excellent or praiseworthy, so pursuing culture should help us think about what is excellent or praiseworthy.  We can surmise from this that Christians should pursue culture as part of walking the Christian path.

Resting in perfect goodness is an important part of The Great Learning.  I have often sought a secular explanation of how one could dwell or rest in perfect goodness.  Now I think one explanation of how one can dwell in perfect goodness is to make one’s mind dwell in truth and beauty.  Culture is an aid to resting in perfect goodness when it helps us dwell in truth and beauty.  Matthew Arnold also said, “Culture is ... the love of perfection; it is a study of perfection.”  Culture, at its best, works to perfect our humanity.

Looking at Philippians 4:8 with Confucian eyes I saw the unity of truth and beauty.  I saw culture is more than a form of recreation; it can aid in perfecting our humanity.  Ask a Christian how to rest in perfect goodness and he will point towards God.  Now we can see an answer for a secular society:  one can rest in perfect goodness by resting in truth and beauty.

We could stop our study now, but let us consider whether discovering the unity of truth and beauty is discovering a moral principle.  Keats already made this observation, so let us delve deeper by considering how the Confucian scholar Wang Yangming expressed the unity of knowledge and action:  “Knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge.”  This expression advances an equivalency relation to a process.

To choose a starting point between truth and beauty in defining a moral process, consider how Plato said in Book VI of The Republic that the mind, and its products, is the child of the good.  The good is the highest ideal, or form.  Plato presented this analogy:  as the sun is to light, so the good is to truth.  It is through truth we perceive.  As Plato put it, “the form of the good provides truth to what is known.” 

Because we must perceive something through truth before we can appreciate its beauty, we can conjecture that truth takes precedence over beauty.  We can restate the unity of truth and beauty as a process after the fashion of Wang Yangming:  “Truth is the beginning of beauty, and beauty is the fulfillment of truth.”  Now we have gone a step beyond Keats.

A principle must have utility.  As an example, we will apply the unity of truth and beauty to test an assertion.  We will test the truthfulness of an assertion by looking at its results and deciding if they are beautiful. 

Here is an assertion to examine for truthfulness:  “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:12-13)  Ask yourself:  can this lesson lead to a beautiful life?  We can use Galatians 5:22-23 for the attributes of this kind of life:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  If these nine attributes from Galatians 5 described an ugly life, then the words of John 15 would be false, according to the unity principle of truth and beauty.  If we find these nine attributes describing a beautiful life, then we can conclude the assertion of Jesus in John 15 is true:  self sacrifice is an expression of the greatest love.

I believe this study shows the Confucian investigation of things is a powerful tool that can benefit Americans.  Philippians 4:8 is valuable for Christians and non-Christians wishing to nurture and grow the better parts of their humanity.  The investigation of things reveals Philippians 4:8 saying culture perfects our humanity.  Confucians find they can rest in perfect goodness by resting in truth and beauty.  We developed a new moral principle, the unity of truth and beauty, by using the investigation of things.  We can use this new principle to assess truth.  The genesis of a new moral principle from interaction between Christianity and Confucianism is an example of the synergy that is the highest expression of multiculturalism.

If we can glean so many additional ideas from one well understood Bible verse through the investigation of things, imagine how much we might learn  if we applied the Confucian search for moral principle to entire works, such as “On Duties” by Cicero.  Applying Confucian theories and methods to great works of our culture will surely renew Western culture.

Copyright © 2009 - 2017 Robert Canright

 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Unity Principles

The Unity of Knowledge and Action (Wang Yangming):

Knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge.

The Unity of Goodness and Wisdom (after Plato):

Goodness is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is the fulfillment of goodness.

The Unity of Truth and Beauty (after Plato and Keats):

Truth is the beginning of beauty, and beauty is the fulfillment of truth.

From the poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

The Unity of Faithfulness and Justice (after Cicero, from On Duties):

Faithfulness is the beginning of justice, and justice is the completion of faithfulness.

This shows how a Confucian idea, the Unity of Knowledge and Action, can give us a new view of Western ideas.  This is the truest form of multi-culturalism, where one culture learns from another in a blending and transformational manner.

Copyright © 2008 - 2017 Robert Canright all rights reserved


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Better Leadership: the Danger of Corruption

The American Leadership Crisis
America's economy is broken following decades of poor leadership. An important step towards better leadership would be incorruptible leaders.
What is Corruption?

Merriam-Webster says corruption is an "impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle." Notice this definition presumes the existence of integrity, virtue, or moral principle. In our post-modern society I do not believe we can count on ambitious people believing in the existence of integrity, virtue, or moral principle. Some ambitious people know these words and might use these words the way adults speak of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny to children, but they believe as little in integrity, virtue, or moral principle as they do Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Many ambitious people are amoral: they are outside of the moral order.

I suggest defining corruption as a betrayal of public or corporate trust. One's actions could be both legal and corrupt. In complex business and government activities it is effectively impossible to write enough laws to make all corrupt acts illegal.

When talking about corruption in business to a business owner he segued into a discussion on "gaming the system." After our discussion I agree with him: gaming-the-system is a form of corruption.

Here is a great explanation of gaming-the-system: "Gaming the System means using the rules, policies and procedures of a system against itself for purposes outside what these rules were intended for. When a system puts too many rules in place, makes them too vague, or otherwise fails to know the consequences of these rules, people who study the rules closely can then use this massive (often contradictory) rule-set to play the 'game' their own, unexpected way."

Gaming-the-system fits within the definition of corruption as a betrayal of public or corporate trust in the sense that if you join a system governed by rules and others expect you to follow the rules, then they expect you to follow the rules to meet the ends promoted by those rules. But if you game the system, then you follow the letter of the rules in a way that subverts the intent of those rules.

When a bank takes loans off of its books just before the accounting for the quarterly financial report, then puts the loans back on the books after the accountants are gone, this is gaming the system.

Now that we have a practical definition of corruption that works in our society, I suggest that corruption is dangerous to our society, I suggest we should face the problem of corruption in American society, and I suggest we strive to reduce the amount of corruption in the United States before our country is irreparably damaged by the present levels of corruption.

Corruption Causes Hardships

Corruption within business and government leads to financial losses. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt in the Crash of 2008, and America is still suffering in 2010. In October 17, 2008, U.S. News and World Report ran the article "The Crash of 2008, How bad is it, and when will it end?" by Kirk Shinkle.

We are still seeing the financial fallout of corrupt business practices. Goldman Sachs structured an investment vehicle, Abacus 2007-AC1, some say was designed to fail because it "was jam-packed with highly leveraged, exotic trades ," as reported by the Telegraph. Goldman Sachs customers lost fortunes and the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Goldman of securities fraud.

Remember I said a corrupt act could still be legal? Goldman Sachs might beat the charges in court, but Abacus 2007-AC1 could still be a corrupt business deal. It is impossible to write enough laws to force a clever person to be honest.

Corruption Kills

When the project manager decided it was too cold to launch the Challenger space shuttle on January 28, 1986, he was told to take off his engineering hat, put on his management hat, and rethink his decision. The project manager was pressured to do what he knew was wrong -- launch the shuttle under dangerous conditions. The most common form of corruption in America is for a senior manger to pressure a junior manager into doing something wrong. In the case of the Challenger space shuttle disaster, this form of corruption killed the crew of seven, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.

Early Childhood Training in Ethics

The key to ethical behavior is to teach it early. An essay by Drake Bennett in the Dallas Morning News on May 28, 2010, asked "Can an 'MBA oath' fix business?" The answer is, "No." Ethical behavior needs to be instilled at at young age. I have in the past recommended all the children of Plano recite the Pledge to Justice daily after the pledges to the flags.

The Pledge to Justice: "I do not cheat. I do not steal. I do not hurt other people."

Good leadership is ethical leadership, free of corruption. The foundation for good leadership is created in childhood.

Robert Canright

This blog is about Confucianism.  The word "corruption" is not in the Analects.  Here are the closest Analects related to corruption:

BOOK XII, CHAP. XVIII. Chi K'ang, distressed about the number of thieves in the state, inquired of Confucius how to do away with them. Confucius said, 'If you, sir, were not covetous, although you should reward them to do it, they would not steal.'

Telling this leader Chi K'ang that he was covetous is as close as he could get to politely call him corrupt. Here Confucius gives Chi K'ang advice on good government.

BOOK XII, CHAP. XVII. Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, 'To govern means to rectify. If you lead on the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?'

Who was  Chi K'an.  Here is an article on the internet that says this about him.

Confucius probably owed his position in Lu to the influence of the Chi family, which was still the dominant power. We know from the Analects that he was on especially good terms with Chi K'ang-tzu, the son of the head of the Chi clan. Several of Confucius' disciples were employed by the Chi family. Because of his close association with the Chi clan, which in effect was a usurper of the ducal power, it might be supposed that Confucius had compromised his integrity. However, Confucius and his disciples actually seem to have worked to reduce the power of the three clans. For example, in 498 they were able to extract promises from the Chi, Meng, and Shu families to demolish their fortified cities, which were their bases of power. The Chi and Shu actually had begun preparations to dismantle their cities when the Meng reneged and the plan was abandoned. Nevertheless, the episode is a clear example of Confucius' interest in restoring legitimacy in Lu.

Better Leadership: the Danger of Arrogance

Good News

America has had a rough decade, but the good news is that we are starting to work on developing the better leadership America needs to turn our country around.

Rethinking Leadership

I started writing about the American Leadership Crisis back in January, 2007. This last year a friend recommended Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca, which also came out in 2007. It is an established fact that America is in the midst of a deep and abiding leadership crisis. The Wall Street meltdown is just one manifestation of this crisis.

The TEA Party movement is evidence that Americans are tired of failed leadership. A resurgent conservative movement is more evidence Americans are looking for better leadership.

The Texas Ascendancy Campaign is a plan to fix America's problems by taking action within Texas. You can follow the Texas Ascendant blog, which has a thread called The Texas Leadership Revolution.

This Timeless Way blog will focus now on rethinking leadership. Good leadership is a timeless human need.

The Danger of Arrogance

We inaugurate this new focus by examining the danger arrogance poses to good leadership. Examples of arrogance surround us. I will just pick up yesterday's newspaper and point you to the article U.K. Documents Show Friction With U.S. on Iraq by JOHN F. BURNS, New York Times, November 23, 2009.

Here is a great quote from a British Colonel about American leadership in this article:
“They need to reintroduce dialogue as a tool of command because, although it is easy to speak to Americans face to face and understand each other completely, dealing with them corporately is akin to dealing with a group of Martians. If it isn’t on the PowerPoint slide, it doesn’t happen.”

Here's another great quote:
“The whole system was appalling,” Colonel Tanner said. “We experienced real difficulty in dealing with the American military and civilian organizations who, partly through arrogance and partly through bureaucracy, dictate that there is only one way: the American way.”

The ancient Greeks were very familiar with the human failings of hubris and arrogance. There is the great example of hubris when Xerxes ordered the sea be whipped for disobedience.

Here is another example. When Alexander the Great first invaded Persia, that was when he was most vulnerable and most likely to be defeated. The Persian Governor had a general who him the surest way to defeat Alexander was to deprive him of foraged food: burn the crops, destroy the food. The Governor refused to listen to his expert and Alexander went on to conquer the Persian Empire.

The scorched earth policy defeated Napoleon in Russia and it would have defeated Alexander.

Arrogance shuts off good advice. Good leadership requires expert advice, but arrogance renders good advice worthless.

It is during the formative years of character formation in elementary school that lessons about arrogance and hubris must be taught. An ethics seminar in the Harvard Business school is too late to form good character.

Robert Canright

PS: Please submit your comments in English. Thank you.

Dante on Leadership

Confucianism, an ethical system, offers much to America because it teaches governmental responsibility for the prosperity of its people.

Dante's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, has an excellent assessment of the importance of moral leaders. The Divine Comedy is comprised of 100 cantos arranged in three parts: The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso. In the middle of this massive work of poetry, over 14,000 lines, is Dante's assessment of leadership.

In canto XVI of the Purgatario, Dante asks Marco Lombardo for the source of the world's ills in verses 59 to 64. Dante asks if it is our fate, determined by the stars. Lombardo says no, that we have free will (verses 65 to 79). In verses 80 to 84 Lombardo says the problem is not in the stars, but in ourselves. Then in verses 97 to 109 Lombardo says the source of mankind's ill fortune lies in corrupt leadership, not in an evil human nature.

Mankind's ills flow not from our evil nature, but from our sovereigns who break the laws and strike at the good, according to Dante. This message echoes in Confucianism: (Analects, Book 12, Chapter 18) Chi K'ang Tzu was troubled by thieves, so he asked Confucius for advice. Confucius replied, “If you were not so covetous, people wouldn't steal even if you paid them to steal.”

If corrupt leadership is the source of the world's ills, then moral leaders are the source of peace an prosperity, which is a Confucian teaching. If moral leadership is vital for our safety and prosperity, then obviously morality should be a vital part of the eduction for our young.

Robert

Following is the pertinent text from the Purgatorio. The translation is from Francis F. Cary in the 1800's

Here is the question put to Lombardo:
59 The world indeed is even so forlorn
60 Of all good as thou speak'st it and so swarms
61 With every evil. Yet, beseech thee, point
62 The cause out to me, that myself may see,
63 And unto others show it: for in heaven
64 One places it, and one on earth below.

Here Lombardo says the answer lies with us:
80 To better nature subject, ye abide
81 Free, not constrain'd by that, which forms in you
82 The reasoning mind uninfluenc'd of the stars.
83 If then the present race of mankind err,
84 Seek in yourselves the cause, and find it there.

Here Lombardo accuses our leaders of corruption:
97 Hence it behov'd, the law should be a curb;
98 A sovereign hence behov'd, whose piercing view
99 Might mark at least the fortress and main tower
100 Of the true city. Laws indeed there are:
101 But who is he observes them? None; not he,
102 Who goes before, the shepherd of the flock,...[skip 103]
104 Therefore the multitude, who see their guide
105 Strike at the very good they covet most,
106 Feed there and look no further. Thus the cause
107 Is not corrupted nature in yourselves,
108 But ill-conducting, that hath turn'd the world
109 To evil.....

Review: Moment of Truth by Marc Nuttle

I was impressed by the book Moment of Truth by Marc Nuttle. His book is written to the Christian audience, but is well suited for most conservatives and for all people who believe in limited government.

I see three major themes in this book. (1) He believes a conservative era based on Reagan has run its course and it is time for conservatives to rebuild the conservative movement. (2) He believes people are strongly motivated to improve their world for the sake of their children. (3) He believes it is time for more people to become involved in politics.

On page 25 of his book he has a graph of the 40 year long influence of Ronald Reagan. He discusses the birth of that movement and describes the impact small businessmen had in politics when they felt their businesses were threatened by Hillary Clinton's plans for health care reform.

He has traveled the world working with incipient democratic movements. He found a recurring theme in people involved in politics to give their children a better future. His comments on China were very informative. The Chinese rulers were motivated to improve the lot of their people and they saw Christianity as a positive influence.

If you can get a copy of the book, look at pages 220 -222 for an excellent summary of the book. He has a 3 point call to action: (1) Define yourself and your values, (2) Prioritize your issues, and (3) Communicate your values; lead others in your sphere of influence; illustrate your confidence.

I feel America is in peril because our leaders have lost their way. We must discover or rear-up a new generation of leaders.

All people of good will should be working to fix this country while here is still time to repair it. There is much wisdom in this book applicable to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Robert Canright

Faithfulness and America's Economic Collapse

The Five Virtues of Confucius include "faithfulness," according to some translations. When I first read faithfulness in this list, I wondered what the translator meant by "faithfulness." The only occasions I have heard "faithfulness" mentioned was in the context of marital faithfulness, but that is not a topic in the Analects, so what was meant by faithfulness?

When I read Cicero's "On Duties," I saw that Cicero meant "constancy" when he said "faithfulness." Then I ran across this quote from Cicero: "The great foundation of justice is faithfulness, which consists in being constantly firm to your word, and a conscientious performance of all compacts and bargains."

Wow, faithfulness is the foundation of justice!

Is faithfulness of practical import today? Let's consider the story, "A Money-Fund Manager's Fateful Shift" by Steve Stecklow and Diya Gullapalli in the December 8, 2008 Wall Street Journal (front page). This article describes how Bruce R. Bent started the Reserve Fund, a money market fund, with a commitment to avoid "commercial paper," unsecured short-term corporate debt. Bent started the Reserve Fund, the 1st money market fund, in 1970.

Then Bruce Bent broke faith with his guiding principle and bought commercial paper from Lehman Brothers, a lot of it. Then Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, and in 2008 the Reserve Primary Fund "broke the buck:" its share value dropped below one dollar and its investors lost money. The China Investment Corporation, CIC, lost $5.4 Billion in the Reserve Primary Fund. Even today the website for the Reserve Fund advertises, "Security, liquidity, and peace of mind in one account," but how can you trust them when they have been unfaithful to their guiding principles?

America's economy is in trouble today because too many businessmen have not been faithful to what Walter Lippmann called the Old Gospel of Success. Lippmann quotes Benjamin Franklin as an example of the Old Gospel of Success: "prudent management and frugality will increase any fortune to any degree." (Page 167)

Lippmann's book, The Phantom Public, describes from pages 163 to 168 the complexities of modern business. He describes the business world as a complex, interrelated system. It is a "tangle of distant human relations," "invisibly managed markets," a chain stretching beyond the horizon, an "invisible environment," making impotent efforts to succeed by work and thrift.

Lippmann says these complexities lead to a concentration of economic power that needs to be commanded by a single source. He quotes Goethe's Faust: "And then a mighty work completed stands, one mind suffices for a thousand hands."

This line of reasoning explains Lippmann's New Gospel of Success: "for business success a man must project his mind over an invisible environment."

If there is one thing the Postmodernists have gotten right is that it is dangerous to place too much trust on the power of men's reasoning. Relying on calculated self-interest instead of morality as a compass has crashed our economy.

To restore our prosperity we must rediscover the classic virtues that made us a successful society and hold onto them.

Faithfulness is a timeless virtue.


Robert Canright


PS: At the end of Plato's Republic, Socrates says,
"I advise that we hold fast to the heavenly way and always seek justice and goodness..."
"Holding fast" is faithfulness. The "heavenly way" is the Dao of Heaven. There are Confucian ideas in the Western classics.

The Four Step Process and the Four Greek Virtues

In Chapter 3 of my book, Achieve Lasting Happiness, starting on page 65, I describe the Four Step Process for Self-Transformation.

Plato listed four cardinal virtues in "The Republic." Cicero discussed these virtues in his book, "On Duties" (De Officiis). I have noticed these 4 virtues relate to the Four Step Process for Self-Transformation. Notice I said they are related, that is not to say they are equivalent.

4 Step Process ----> 4 Greek Virtues
============================
"Seek truth" -------> "Wisdom"
"Commit yourself" --> "Courage"
"Live joyfully" -----> "Moderation"
"Share hope" ------> "Justice"

In our postmodern society, I think it is important to realize there can be no wisdom without a belief in truth that exists outside the human mind. Some postmodernists believe there is no truth, that what we call truth is something we create and accept, a social construct.

When our leaders believe they can mandate reality through sheer will power, that is a serious problem, as I mentioned in this blog on January 1, 2009, "Leadership Crisis: Mandating Reality."

I believe a society cannot long endure if it does not believe there is truth in this world.

Robert Canright

I last mentioned the 4 step process on June 29, 2008
The Four Step Process and the Eightfold Path

Leadership Crisis in America: Mandating Reality

NASA engineer Jeffrey Finckenor was quoted in the New York Times saying,

“At the highest levels of the agency, there seems to be a belief that you can mandate reality,” he wrote, “followed by a refusal to accept any information that runs counter to that mandate.”

This refusal to deal with reality has been a long standing feature of our Leadership Crisis. When I first started working as an engineer, decades ago, I was surprised by the gap between reality and the corporation's business plans. I have seen this refusal to deal with reality at many companies.

I remember trying to talk to a corporate vice president about problems with one of his projects, but he refused to listen. A couple of years later that project was shut down, the $25 million expense was written off, and many of the engineers and programmers were laid-off. This failure could have been avoided if problems were faced and solved instead of being ignored. What a waste of time and money that was, but this kind of waste is common in American business.

When leaders refuse to listen to the experts working for them, their projects will either be deficient or will utterly fail. Many of our executives and political leaders believe they can command unrealistic results and force success by sheer will power. NASA lost two satellites to Mars, the Mars Polar Lander and the Mars Climate Orbiter, because Vice President Al Gore decided to just order NASA to cut their budget and shorten their schedule. These failures were caused by the Faster-Better-Cheaper program pushed down NASA's throat by Al Gore. The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster was also caused by willful management.

The U.S.S. Scorpion submarine was lost at sea with 99 crew dead because management decided to use a drastically shortened overhaul schedule, as described in the book, "Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion" by Stephen Johnson. I could go on and on, describing wasted money, wasted opportunities, and wasted lives, but the point is made and a question must be asked.

How can smart people be so stupid?

Hubris, I think, lures our leaders to believe they have god-like powers over the universe.

Hubris wrecked the American economy in the Fall of 2008. The destructive power of hubris is plainly evident, and a willful disregard for reality is symptom of hubris.

The ancient Greeks learned about hubris through plays and historical accounts. The example of Xerxes whipping the sea was an example of hubris. We can teach our children about hubris the same way the ancient Greeks did: though drama, literature, and historical accounts.

It is imperative we include moral instruction in the education of our youth, educating them to be aware of hubris, to be aware of its destructive power, teaching them to recognize hubris in others and in themselves.

Robert Canright

The NYT article referenced was "The Fight Over NASA's Future" by John Schwartz, Tuesday December 30, 2008. It is a good article about NASA's future missions and replacements to the Space Shuttle.

Leadership Crisis in America: Greenspan Lies

On Thursday October 24, 2008, Congress grilled Alan Greenspan about the latest financial meltdown. Here are some quotes from the Wall Street Journal, Friday October 25, 2008.
On the front page, "Greenspan Admits Errors to Hostile House Panel," by Kara Scannell and Sudeep Reddy.

"Mr. Greenspan maintained that no regulator was smart enough to foresee the 'once in a life-time credit tsunami.'"

and

"Anticipating such a crisis 'is more than anybody is capable of judging."

Yet the same issue of the WSJ ran an article on page C1, "Paulson & Co. Scores Again This Year," by Gregory Zuckerman, describing how Paul Johnson was able to foresee the tsunami, anticipate the crisis, and profit from it. Last year Mr. Johnson made $3 Billion personally from the meltdown. His hedge fund, Paulson & Co., made $15 Billion last year.

Clearly, Greenspan is lying to us again.

Robert Canright

Malcolm Gladwell Insults Asians

The New York Times, in "Sociology of Success" by Stephen Kotkin, November 2, 2008, reviews the latest book by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell's previous two books became best sellers by taking ideas were already well known and established, repackaging them as though he had discovered something new, and writing in a light, breezy style meant to be skimmed quickly rather than read carefully.

Now Gladwell, in his latest book, "Outliers: the Story of Success", ventures into a topic broader and more complex than his previous work. Now he fails. He also insults all Asians, as the following quote from this article about his book (paragraph 9):  The Sociology of Success by Stephen Kotkin, NYT, Nov. 1, 2008.

"If some points border on the obvious, others seem a stretch. Asian children’s high scores at math, Mr. Gladwell would have us believe, derive from work in rice paddies. Never mind that few of the test takers or their urban parents in Hong Kong, Singapore or Tokyo have ever practiced wet-rice agriculture. Noting that math test scores correlate with how long students will sit for any kind of exam, Mr. Gladwell points to an Asian culture of doggedness, which he attributes to cultural legacies of rice cultivation. (Paddies require constant effort.)"

Asians owe their success to rice paddies?

It would seem Malcolm Gladwell has no understanding of the Confucian influence on Asian cultures, where studying has been highly regarded for thousands of years.

CONFUCIAN ANALECTS.
BOOK I. HSIO R.
CHAPTER I
1. The Master said, 'Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?'
2. 'Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?'
3. 'Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?'

Let's look at this again:
Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?

This attitude, coupled with the financial rewards and public honors bestowed by Chinese Emperors upon the winners of their national examinations, has over the ages developed the "culture of doggedness" puzzling Gladwell.

The belief that only students who are quick studies can succeed in school is the lazy person's excuse.

Ascribing the academic success of Asians to rice paddies is lazy thinking at best, and racism at worst.

Robert Canrigh

Leadership Crisis in America: Texas Contributes to Housing Debacle

The Sunday, October 19, 2008 New York Times describes how Henry Cisneros of San Antonio contributed to the housing debacle and the sub-prime mortgage disaster. In "Building Flawed American Dreams" by David Streitfeld and Gretchen Morgenson, we can read how Henry G. Cisneros, as Secretary of HUD (Housing and Urban Development) under Clinton pushed sub-prime mortgages. Then he left the government and got on the Board of Directors of KB Home and Countrywide Mortgages, both involved in sub-prime housing.

He made millions on the board of Countrywide. Then he became a developer and sold homes to people who could not afford them.

This is exactly the kind of disastrous leadership Texas needs to eradicate. America is now in a financial crisis because we have been in a leadership crisis for many years. Yes, some Texans have contributed to our economic meltdown. Cisneros is not the only one. Phil Gramm wrecked American banking.

Yet, Texas can take the lead in restoring capable leadership in America. That is the point of the Texas Ascendancy Project: setting a new standard for leadership with integrity.

Robert Canright

David Brooks and Confucianism

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times. On Thursday Sept. 11, 2008, he published a column entitled "The Social Animal."

In this column he wrote, "Over the past 30 years, there has been a tide of research in many fields, all underlining one old truth — that we are intensely social creatures, deeply interconnected with one another and the idea of the lone individual rationally and willfully steering his own life course is often an illusion."

This is exactly what I wrote in my book: we need to recognize our connection to our community. Confucianism has a lot to say about relationships between individuals and the community. Both the Analects of Confucius (which are in my book) and the Great Learning have much wisdom on relationships and community.

In my description of The Winding Spring Process of Education I highlight a portion of The Great Learning (the Ta Hsueh, also written as the Da Xue) that describes the interaction of family and community.

Confucianism will make important contributions to America.

Robert Canright

TLR, Rod Dreher, and Ron Paul

Rod Dreher's column on 8/31/08 in the Dallas Morning News was puzzling. He called the Republican party "intellectually moribund" and raised many good examples of how the Republican party does not understand the "root causes of our civilizational crisis." Rod Dreher said, "there are and have been few, if any, effective sources of countercultural resistance from the right," even though Ron Paul and his supporters have resisted the culture of corruption very vigorously.

It is true the Dallas Morning News has effectively censored the Ron Paul Revolution, but Rod Dreher cannot be unaware of its existence. Mr. Dreher is in St. Paul, saying the Republican convention has, "all the brio of the Bataan Death March." I do love Mr. Dreher's way with words, but I wonder why he does not drive over to Minneapolis and observe Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic. Here is the Mission Statement for the Rally for the Republic:

The Campaign for Liberty events planned for August 31 - September 2 will be a celebration of our movement and our supporters, a launch party for the Campaign for Liberty, and a clear call to the Republican Party to return to its roots of limited government, personal responsibility, and protection of our natural rights. The event will run in conjunction with the first two days of the Republican National Convention and will feature top conservative speakers, musicians, and organizations. It will also have an organizational and training function for the Campaign for Liberty and the Freedom Movement.

I am very glad to see a Texan, Ron Paul, working hard to bring integrity back into politics. Integrity must be a part of the Texas Leadership Revolution. America needs better leaders for a better future. Developing better leaders is a concern to Confucians. I'm glad to see a Texan, Ron Paul, leading the charge for a better future.

But I am puzzled. Is Rod Dreher unaware of what is going on in Minneapolis, or is he under orders from Belo Corporation to censor Ron Paul?

Robert

Oregon: Economic Growth without Population Growth

I visited Oregon on vacation. When I started pumping my gas, an attendant ran over and informed me that by state law I was not free to pump my own gas. I had to step aside and let him finish pumping my gas and hand me my receipt.

Oregon obviously lacks economic growth. One of my sisters lives there and told me that people move to Oregon without jobs because it is beautiful. Then they struggle to find employment because there are few jobs available in Oregon.

I read many years ago an article that said people in Oregon did not want their state to become over crowded and polluted like California.

I posted earlier the speculation that a research project for a Nobel Prize in Economics would be economic growth without population growth.

Oregon would be a great laboratory to test methods of growing the economy without growing the population.

Robert

How to Win a Nobel Prize in Economics (Part 1): Economic Growth without Growth

I've said before that Confucians can contribute to economics. The world will listen if you have a nice credential like a Nobel prize in economics. Once you have your prize, people might listen when you tell them there is morality in economics.

If you are a Confucian and studying economics, I suggest you go for the gold: win a Nobel prize. I suggest you might follow in the footsteps of Herbert Simon: study at the University of Chicago and propose something obvious as a new idea.

Have you ever heard the joke, "when all else fails, lower your standards"? Simon got the Nobel Prize in Economics for calling that "satisficing." I'm not joking! Check the web links.

Here is an obvious problem that has not been solved: Describe how one achieves steady economic growth without population growth.

Look at how the American economy is run: it assumes a continuously growing population. Picture yourself with a baby diaper factory. If there are more babies born this year than last year, then you can sell more product this year. If the population growth goes to zero, then so does your growth, unless you take away sales from another manufacturer.

Warren Buffet was in a panel discussion after the broadcast of the I.O.U.S.A. movie. Buffet said that the pie was always growing. That's what he was talking about: the economy grows because the population grows. This is the foundation of the world's economic system.

But the population growth in some European countries has turned to zero or gone negative (a shrinking population). Some European countries have avoided economic innovation by importing people from the Middle-East to fuel their population and economic growth. The American Ruling Class has done the same, flooding the country with immigrants and telling the American people to embrace diversity.

The science fiction writer Robert Silverberg wrote, "The World Inside," describing a world culture with over-population. Science fiction writers might find an extremely crowded world an interesting subject for fiction, but the world's resources are finite and cannot support infinite population growth. This is just a fact.

Want a Nobel Prize? Here's a Noble Prize in Economics just waiting to be picked up: describe how we can have a continuously growing economy without population growth.

Robert Canright

In 2012 I had an idea on how we can have a continuously growing economy without population growth:
Economic Growth Without Population Increase Sunday, April 8, 2012
Here are my previous posts on economics in this blog
December 23, 2007: Confucianism and Economics
January 18, 2008: More on Economics and Confucianism
May 30, 2008: Confucianism, Economics and Finance

TLR: the Texas Leadership Revolution

America desperately needs better leaders. We need leaders truly grounded in morality, having a real sense for justice and civic virtue.

America needs common moral ground. To avoid religious divisiveness, I searched for a system of secular ethics that could serve as a common moral ground for the multicultural society we have today. I believe Confucianism is a good candidate. Confucianism is a philosophical movement, not a religion. I have discovered that Texans find it difficult to consider Confucianism, so I have been studying Stoicism.

I believe Cicero's book, On Duties (De Officiis) has much to offer us. Consider this quote from the reviewer at Amazon.com: In "On Duties," Cicero drives a dagger in the heart of today's ills.

TLR, the Texas Leadership Revolution depends on moral leaders. And I don't mean frauds who tell fake stories about walking on the beach with Billy Graham, I mean men and women who manifest the leadership described by Cicero in his book, On Duties.

Robert Canright

Benevolence and Bobby Fischer

Jen (Ren) is a key Confucian virtue. I ran across a reference to the kindness Pal Benko showed to Bobby Fischer. Pal Benko had qualified to play in the 1970 World Chess Championship cycle while Bobby Fischer did not, because Fischer was stubborn and skipped an important chess tournament.

Yes, Bobby Fischer was not supposed to play in that series of chess matches because he did not do what was required to qualify. Pal Benko showed benevolence to Bobby Fischer, giving Fischer the spot Benko had earned. The rest is history. Fischer was already on a winning streak. He had won his last seven chess games. Fischer obliterated Mark Tiamanov 6-0, even though Tiamanov had defeated him last time they played. Next he defeated Bent Larsen 6-0. In the semifinal game, he defeated Tigran Petrosian in their 1st game.

Fischer at this point had won 20 games straight against grandmasters. Only World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz had done better with a 25 game winning streak. Fischer went on to beat ex-World Champion Petrosian and the reigning champion Boris Spassky.

Bobby Fischer became the only American to officially hold the title of World Champion of Chess, and America was swept up in a chess playing frenzy, because of Benko's benevolence to Bobby.

Robert