[lbo-talk] Here is the Marx section

[D. T. Cochrane]

If we want to identify 'incipient moments' as points of 'opportunity,'
that's on us. It's a bit of Orientalism to identify that perspective as part
of wisdom of the ancients, as displayed in their hieroglyphics. I doubt that
was Michael's intent, but he is repeating a incorrect Western misconception,
rooted in part, in a misunderstanding of how the Chinese written language
works.

On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM, Alan Rudy <alan.rudy at gmail.com> wrote:


> On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM, D. T. Cochrane <dtc at yorku.ca> wrote:
>
> > Right off the bat, the Chinese character for 'Crisis' IS NOT a
> combination
> > of the symbols for 'danger' and 'opportunity.'
> >
> > "The jī of wēijī, in fact, means something like "incipient moment;
> crucial
> > point (when something begins or changes)." Thus, a wēijī is indeed a
> > genuine
> > crisis, a dangerous moment, a time when things start to go awry. A
> > wēijīindicates a perilous situation when one should be especially
> > wary."
> >
> >
> Similarly, I was taught to think in terms of incipient, crucial
> uncertain/dangerous points of (potential)
> beginning/ending/transformation...
> the point where what you (and yours) do matters way more than it usually
> does.
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