Archive

  • French Revolution Part 4: Dominant Discourses

    French Revolution Part 4: Dominant Discourses

    “To break sharply with the past is to court the madness that may follow the shock of sudden blows or mutilation.” —Will Durant In the 1780s, France arrived at a critical juncture in history. It was at the apex of its geopolitical power, but also at the nadir of its social cohesion. Although it was Read more

  • Shift of Mathematical Truth Over Time

    Shift of Mathematical Truth Over Time

    Since the introduction of mathematics in its rawest form in Ancient Greece, mathematical knowledge has since been revered by all for its quality of objective truthfulness. But it is not as simple as it seems. There are already many issues with objective truthfulness when one analyses the origins of mathematics itself: the axioms. In this Read more

  • The Sage And His Student

    The Sage And His Student

    A long long time ago, there once lived a sage who was so wise that he knew of all the mountains and the seas of the world. He had witnessed wonder and terror beyond comprehension. Through books and scrolls his mind soared high, and took him to where his feet could not tread. And so Read more

  • The Song of Everlasting Regret Part 3

    The Song of Everlasting Regret Part 3

    What follows is the final part of my interpretation and translation of 白居易‘s 长恨歌. Ancient Chinese literature is notoriously difficult to translate to English due to the sheer amount of mythological, idiomatic, cultural, historical, and literary references through which meanings are conveyed in the Chinese language. By reading a poem such as this, one can Read more

  • How we learn

    How we learn

    One of the most baffling questions I’ve always been curious about is: “How exactly do we learn and grasp new information?”. We normally think about primary, secondary or higher education institutions, but learning occurs in many different ways, from observation, to practical demonstration, to application, as is seen in many scenarios in our world today. Read more

  • A Chinese Heart

    A Chinese Heart

    What follows is a personal interpretation and translation of the song 我的中国心，literally, “My Chinese Heart”, by 张明敏. The simple eloquence of the lyrics, combined with the powerful ideas at play, creates a very moving piece. But the song truly resonated with me not because of its literary merit or popularity, but because it is literally Read more