I love my research as if it were my lover! No matter how difficult it is, I still love it!
Cheers.
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One of the enlightening moments in life is to feel that the boring economic history research (the thing that has been torturing me and making me anxious) suddenly becomes the most romantic thing in the world.
I love my research as if it were my lover! No matter how difficult it is, I still love it! Cheers.
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I figured that an effective way of teaching is to organize the lectures in the form of intellectual debates.
For example, this week we discuss the Malthusian model. I present the original Malthusian model first, then present Galor's unified growth theory that expands and modifies the Malthusian model. I then talk about Angus Maddison's critique on Galor's model. Finally I present Greg Clark's critique on Angus Maddison's work. To organize the lecture this way, we learn the whole debate and look at a topic from different angles. It's also important to let students know that there is no authoritative answer to any question. This spirit is exactly what Chinese students lack. Chinese students have been trained to memorize answers dogmatically. This course prepares them for critical thinking. Walls
Without consideration, without pity, without shame they have built great and high walls around me. And now I sit here and despair. I think of nothing else: this fate gnaws at my mind; for I had many things to do outside. Ah why did I not pay attention when they were building the walls. But I never heard any noise or sound from builders. Imperceptibly they shut me from the outside world. Constantine P. Cavafy (1897) One of the classic debates in economic history is scattering in the open field system.
Here is a paragraph from my new working paper: "The layout of peasant holdings needs to be studied in conjunction with the lord-peasant relationship. To see why lord-peasant relationship matters in the decision for scattering, let’s examine the layout of new fields in the process of colonization. In the colonization of waste lands, the layout of new holdings can be affected by the balance of power between the lords and the village communities. Dodgshon (1975) documents that if the colonization was initiated by village communities, new lands were strictly apportioned among the old and the nexus of the property rights remained. By contrast, if lords exercised control over the colonization of waste lands, a new field system of independent holdings could be created unrelated to those existed within the old township. Thus, scattering should be treated not only as a collective decision made by peasant communities, but also an equilibrium outcome under the balance of power between the lord and the peasants." Today in our economic history class, we watched a BBC documentary of the industrial revolution.
After that, I raised a question:"Do you think China will launch the next industrial revolution? Why?" Almost all the Chinese students said no. One or two foreign students were more optimistic about China. Many Chinese students refer to the lack of political liberty as the reason why they don't believe China will become a leader of innovations. What is the ultimate goal of research? To be famous? To gain recognition? To stamp your own image in intellectual history? To have an eternal reputation?
We may say that the above purposes all belong to the "will-to-power" category. Curiosity belongs to the other category. Unfortunately, only children and a small number of first-rate thinkers manage to separate curiosity from ambition. The first-rate thinkers live in their own intellectual world without caring about their reputations. They enjoy thinking for the sake of thinking. They have no desire to fight against existing theories. They are often ignored by their contemporaries but gain fame decades or even hundreds of years later. I hope to detect these real philosophers in intellectual history and have a conversation with them. I lived in Wuhan before I was 25. In the recent three years I did not come back.
Now I'm back but cannot find my home. Maybe a small store or a restaurant still remains, but the city is no longer the one I knew. In fact, I cannot even tell the taxi driver where I am going, because the whole area was gone. That's the speed of China. You get lost in your hometown. Well, the only thing that has not changed is the cold wind and the ever flowing Yangtze river. I have not read economics for at least two weeks. I'm not even reading history. These are what I'm reading: the great Renaissance writer Michel de Montaigne,the great Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran, the great Chinese classic Guiguzi(鬼谷子) and the great Indian mystic Osho.
I have to leave economics once in a while when it begins to make me dry. These books help me gain balance. Today I found this interesting post Machiavelli in Love. Obviously, Machiavelli knows how to balance himself. :) http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/machiavelli/papersdrafts2000/tenpaper.htm "Machiavelli’s passionate writing about love sharply contrasts his persuasive letters about politics. In a political context, Machiavelli uses fact, logic, and history to support his opinion. When writing about love, Machiavelli refers to authors like Ovid and uses a more abstract tone. Examine this 1514 letter written to Vettori: I ought to tell you, as you did me, how this love began, how Love ensnared me with his nets, where he spread them, and what they were like; you would realize that, spread among the flowers, these were nets of gold woven by Venus, so soft and gentle that even though an insensitive heart could have severed them, nevertheless I declined to do so. (Atkinson 293)." By the way, why did Machiavelli use "he" when he refers to love? Shouldn't love be "she"? Is that politically incorrect or politically correct by today's standard? Some people devote to perfecting themselves intellectually and spiritually all their life. The rough sides of their characters have been persistently smoothed over. Their wisdom and merits increase with age. Their desires and flaws decrease with age. When they reach an old age, they obtain a well balanced character. They become soft from without and firm from within. They always make people around them very comfortable. They also supply wise suggestions to immature people. Therefore, they attract young people to learn from them and work with them, because their inner strength can shape young people's heart.
My mentor. Dr. Yoram Barzel, is such an old master. I benefited so much from his teachings after spending 2 months studying under him. Yoram does not speak often. But I know what I have done is wrong even from his silence. He is my mirror that reflects my weaknesses. Yoram also passes his love and devotion to economics to me. When we were together, we talked about nothing else but economics. Our intellectual world is so pure and peaceful. That's why Seattle is my intellectual home. :) 弘一法师经典语录
1、 “不让古人是谓有志,不让今人是谓无量。” 2、“有才而性缓,定属大才。有智而气和,斯为大智。” 3、“以恕已之心恕人则全交。以责人之心责已则寡过。” 4、“在事者,当置身利害之外。建言者,当设身利害之中。” 5、“临事须替别人想,论人先将自己思。” 6、“静坐常思已过。闲谈莫论人非。” 7、“对失意人,莫谈得意事。处得意日,莫忘失意时。” 8、“不尽人情,举足尽是危机。不体物情,一生俱成梦境。” 9、“以淡字交友,以聋字止谤,以刻字责已,以弱字御侮。居安,虑危。处治,思乱。” 10、“不为外物所动之谓静。不为外物所实之谓虚。” 11、“意粗,性躁,一事无成。心平,气和,千祥骈集。” 12、“公,生明。诚,生明。从容,生明。” 13、“心志要苦,意趣要乐,气度要宏,言动要谨。” 14、“事能常足,心常惬。人到无求,品自高。” 15、“知足常乐,终生不耻。知止常止,终生不辱。” 16、“谦退是保身第一法,安祥是处事第一法,涵容是待人第一法,恬淡是养心第一法。” 17、“人好刚我以柔胜之,人好术我以诚感之。 ” 18、“必有容,德乃大。必有忍,事乃济。” 19、 何以息谤?曰:无辩。何以止怨?曰:不争。 20、事当快意处须转,言到快意处须住。 If you are an economist. Forget this. Learn from sociologists, historians, and natural scientists.
If you are Chinese. Forget this. Learn from Americans, Japanese, Indians and Africans. If you are female. Forget this. Learn from males. If you are adult. Forget this. Learn from children. If you are old. Forget this. Learn from the young. But in the end, come back and pick up your identity. You will find the quality of your life changed. That's the second coming! |
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