All posts by Richard Brown

Analects of Confucius Book 9: Confucius on ritual integrity

March 17, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Even though Confucius was a strong advocate of preserving ancient Zhou dynasty rituals in all their pristine glory, that didn’t mean that he was completely averse to making changes to them when it made sense – as long as they didn’t affect the integrity of the ceremonies.

In 9.3, he doesn’t raise any objections to replacing hemp or linen with silk in the production of ceremonial caps because it is much more economical to do so. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 9: Confucius on ritual integrity →

VIA

Notes from the field: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 highlights

March 16, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

It’s a pity that CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 ended on a rather muted note as a result of mounting concerns about the Covid-19 virus. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this awesome event and get a colorful snapshot of the latest construction industry trends.

The highlight for me was the live demonstration Caterpillar gave of their latest vehicles. I was particularly impressed with how they showed the increasingly important role technology is playing in improving operator productivity and safety by enabling the real-time capture and analysis of key telematics data. Continue reading Notes from the field: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 highlights →

Confucius

Analects of Confucius Book 9: the great forbearance of Zilu and Zigong

March 15, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Unlike the sainted Yan Hui, neither Zilu nor Zigong manage to earn unequivocal praise from Confucius in Book 9 of the Analects. Indeed, Confucius rebukes them both for a variety of sins – ranging from a serious violation of ritual protocol to a failure to understand the qualities required of a leader.

Zilu is the one who is responsible for breaching ritual conventions by acting as if he is a retainer of a feudal lord while the sage is seriously ill in 9.12. Given that Confucius doesn’t belong to such an august rank, he roundly scolds his well-meaning if misguided follower after he recovers: “Zilu, this deception has lasted long enough. Who do I deceive with these bogus retainers? Do I deceive heaven? Rather than die among retainers, I would prefer to die in the arms of my followers. I may not receive a grand funeral, but I’ll hardly die by the roadside.” Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 9: the great forbearance of Zilu and Zigong →

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Analects of Confucius Book 2: Confucius on the mandate of heaven

March 14, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Confucius didn’t “do god” in the sense of worshiping a specific deity or religion, but he did subscribe to a belief in the idea of an all-seeing and all-knowing “heaven” (天/tiān) that acted as a sort of moral guide for the world and bestowed its will or mandate (命/mìng) on virtuous individuals to rule the world wisely and benignly. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 2: Confucius on the mandate of heaven →

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Analects of Confucius Book 9 overview: Confucius praises Yan Hui

March 13, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Like Book 8, Book 9 of the Analects of Confucius is a bit of a hodgepodge of various sayings and episodes culled from multiple sources – making it impossible to discern a central theme. It does, however, include some revealing passages involving Confucius and three of his most faithful followers that shed further light on his relationships with them.

Confucius’s protégé and favorite Yan Hui makes the most appearances in the book with three. Zilu and Zigong both make two. The only other possible follower featured is the enigmatically-named Lao (牢) in 9.7. He is usually identified as the fastidious and relatively obscure Yuan Xian. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 9 overview: Confucius praises Yan Hui →

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Analects of Confucius Book 8: resources

March 12, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Here is a list of resources covering Book 8 of the Analects of Confucius. You can click on the links below to learn more about the main themes of the book:

Analects of Confucius Book 8: translation
Analects of Confucius Book 8: overview
Analects of Confucius Book 8: by numbers

Here is a list of articles I have written about each chapter in the book. Again, click on the links to learn more. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 8: resources →

VIA

notes from the field: first day of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020

March 12, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

I’ve been to more CES and Comdex shows than I care to remember, but none of those experiences prepared me for the sheer size and scale of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020. With its massive machines and huge crowds filling the indoor and outdoor exhibition areas, it more than lives up to its billing as the largest construction event in North America. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the largest of its type in the world.

The VIA booth was quite modest in comparison with those of the industry giants, but we still succeeded in attracting a lot of interest in our VIA Mobile360 in-vehicle safety systems – most notably the Dynamic Moving Object Detection and Surround View System demos at the front of it. As one guy who works in the demolition industry explained to me, cameras are the future. Once you start using machinery with them pre-installed, you soon find yourself wanting to put them in all your equipment to better monitor safety and make sure that work is being carried out according to spec. Continue reading notes from the field: first day of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 →

Confucius

Analects of Confucius Book 8: by numbers

March 11, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Book 8 of the Analects of Confucius features only one of the sage’s followers. Thanks no doubt to some editorial skullduggery from his own followers, who played in important role in compiling the Analects, the young pretender Zengzi is given five chapters to spout his wisdom. Even though, in first two at least, he is lying on his death bed, it’s hard to summon up any sympathy for him given the pretentiousness of his utterances.

The book isn’t exactly filled with contemporary figures either, featuring only two. Meng Jingzi, a member of the Meng clan, one of the notorious Three Families that ran the state of Lu, receives a rollicking from Zengzi in 8.4 for his tendency towards micromanagement in his one and only appearance in the Analects. Music Master Zhi fares much better in 8.15 when Confucius praises his “rich and beautiful music” to the skies. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 8: by numbers →

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Analects of Confucius Book 8 overview: from sage kings to ritual and music

March 10, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

There’s no discernible central theme to Book 8 of the Analects of Confucius, but it still contains plenty of interesting tidbits to chew on. Except for the bland and overcooked servings of the follower Zengzi early on in the book, that is. Why spend time trying to digest the tasteless imitations of the sous-chef when you can dine on the rich cuisine of the master chef instead?

Myths and counter-myths

The most enjoyable part of reading the book is digging through the myths and counter-myths surrounding the legendary sage kings Yao, Shun, and Yu in the final five chapters. Were these three men truly the paragons of leaderly virtue that Confucius praises to the skies? Did Yao and Shun really voluntarily cede power to their hand-picked successor rather than keep it in the family? Or were they summarily kicked off the throne when they became too old and weak to maintain their grip on it and bundled off into exile or prison? Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 8 overview: from sage kings to ritual and music →

Confucius

Analects of Confucius Book 7: resources

March 10, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Here is a list of resources covering Book 7 of the Analects of Confucius. You can click on the links below to learn more about the main themes of the book:

Here is a list of articles I have written about each chapter in the book. Again, click on the links to learn more. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 7: resources →