Category: English Writing

Cultural Exchange and Cultural Surrendering

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When I was asked why I wanted to go to The Netherlands for a semester, I quickly considered cultural exchange as an important reason. I fantisiced making new friends from different countries and learning their perspectives. I was excited about the idea of visiting Paris, the cultural centre of Europe, and reading philosophical texts from the continental tradition. My plans have been well executed so far, although I would rather re-consider whether cultural exchange is an accurate term decribing my semester abroad, or in general my experience of studying abroad away from my Chinese home.

Our Lives Are Still Our Own: A Nietzschean Reading of Cloud Atlas

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I explore how the narrative structure of Cloud Atlas helps to demonstrate Friedrich Nietzsche’s arguments about the death of God and eternal recurrence. Moreover, I consider how the film, inspired by the Buddhist concept of karma, challenges Nietzsche’s individualistic solution to nihilism and how Nietzsche may respond to the challenge.

The Importance of Cultural Context and The Cultural Significance of Texts

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In this essay, I consider how New Criticism and Russian Formalism challenge Schleiermacher’s pioneering insight on the importance of context. I argue that neither of the two schools is persuasive enough for me to overlook Schleiermacher’s emphasis on the cultural context of literature.

The Myth of Infinity: Does Platonism Pave the Stairs to God?

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This paper explores the idea of infinity as both a mathematical concept and a metaphysical concept while seeking unity between the two aspects of infinity under Platonist realism. While addressing relevant substitutes of the classical Platonist view of infinity and considering the contemporary revival of Platonism argued by Kurt Gödel alongside recent developments in Mathematical Logic pioneered by Georg Cantor, this paper rationalises the enduring charm of Platonist realism and argues for its unrivalled elegance in explaining the concept of infinity.

The Tree of Life (2011): Where are You? How Can I Endure This Frail Existence?

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10/10 Every great story is a stroy of pain, and The Tree of Life is no exception. It is a story of unbearable and chronic discomfort: the pain of life, growth and death, or to put them together, the pain of mortal existence. It is difficult to reivew this movie in one short blog post, but I think it is worth a try, for the movie deals with the most fundamental pain of human existence, or should I say the worst kind of pain among all.

The New Cosmic Story by John Haught (2017): A Revival of Cosmic Optimism?

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I find Haught's book a worthy addition to the literature dealing with religious awakening and its conflict with modern sciences and meaning in a cosmic perspective. The ambitious, exciting book would have been clearer if Haught can explain in details why he makes certain associations, and why those associations are indeed true besides their psychological and religious appeal.

China’s Reluctance to Develop its Soft Power

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Soft power, often associated with a country’s social and cultural charisma, allows a state to attract other states and obtain its preferred outcomes through non-coercive means (Nye 2012, 151). While many developed economies such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan have invested substantially in developing soft power, China, the emerging economic and military superpower in today’s world, largely fails to develop its soft power that matches its economic and military expansion.

Westworld Season 1 (2016): Lies That Tell a Deeper Truth

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“Artists use lies to tell the truth while politicians use lies to cover the truth up". Widely regarded as one of the most anticipated TV series of 2016, Westworld is inspired by the 1973 movie of the same name which narrates a story in the distant future when human beings are able to stimulate human minds (or consciousness?) for entertainment, or the pleasure of torture and killing. Boosted by stunning visual effects, an ambitious storyline and strong performances, HBO's Westworld greets the world with critical acclaim, scholarly debates and record-breaking ratings.

Manchester by the Sea (2017): Wounds that Can Never be Healed

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Set in a pain-striking town near Boston, Manchester by the Sea narrates a simpler lifestyle, an affecting story and the complexity of forgiveness. I am often puzzled by people feeling better after watching a sad movie or listening to a sad song, and Manchester by the Sea does nothing but affirms that proposition. I assign the movie a 9/10 as it is one of the best movies I have watched in a year, for its authenticity despite its minimalistic direction, acting and storytelling, and for it captures the emotional subtlety that other contemporary work often struggles to balance.