Activity
Time:
International Affairs Discussion Group
Date:
3:00 pm
Stauffer’s Cafe and Pie Shoppe
5600 S. 48th St.
Lincoln Ne 68516
Lincoln Ne 68516
The group will meet on Wednesday, March 4, 3 p.m., at Stauffer’s Café & Pie Shoppe, 5600 South 48th.
This month’s discussion, “What Hath the Coronavirus, COVID-19 Wrought,” will be led by Beth Ann Brooks, M.D.
See below for further information and links to articles.
In 1978, two years after Mao Zedong’s death, a reform-minded Chinese official wrote an article in a Communist Party publication titled “Practice Is the Sole Criterion for Judging Truth.” It was meant as a subtle critique of Maoist ideology. Mao had prioritized ideology and obedience. The reformers wanted to prioritize empiricism: Whatever worked, China should do.
Deng Xiaoping, who became China’s leader in 1978, was part of the reform crowd and began promoting the empirical approach with a saying: “Seek truth from facts.” Under Deng, China remained authoritarian and could be brutally repressive. But it was also practical — firing incompetent local officials, admitting students to schools based on performance and opening up its economy to investment and competition. It’s no coincidence that China since 1978 has enjoyed one of the most phenomenal economic booms on record.
This history was called to mind when reading the heart-rending story of Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist in Wuhan who in late December tried to sound a warning about the Coronavirus. Instead of listening to him, Communist Party officials muzzled and criticized him. Dr. Li later contracted the virus himself, from one of his patients and then died.
Under China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, the government has moved away from Deng’s empirical approach and back toward Mao’s rigid ideology. The Coronavirus epidemic is an example of the damage that such an approach can do. Unlike a half-century ago, China now is a powerful, globally integrated country, which means that its current medical and economic crises have easily evolved into global tragedies.
Grief and Wariness at a Vigil for Li Wenliang, the Doctor Who Tried to Warn China About the Coronavirus
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/grief-and-wariness-at-a-vigil-for-li-wenliang-the-doctor-who-tried-to-warn-china-about-the-coronavirus?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker
Grief and Wariness at a Vigil for Li Wenliang, the Doctor Who Tried to Warn China About the Coronavirus
We’re in a Petri Dish: How a Coronavirus Ravaged a Cruise Ship
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/22/world/asia/coronavirus-japan-cruise-ship.html
This month’s discussion, “What Hath the Coronavirus, COVID-19 Wrought,” will be led by Beth Ann Brooks, M.D.
See below for further information and links to articles.
In 1978, two years after Mao Zedong’s death, a reform-minded Chinese official wrote an article in a Communist Party publication titled “Practice Is the Sole Criterion for Judging Truth.” It was meant as a subtle critique of Maoist ideology. Mao had prioritized ideology and obedience. The reformers wanted to prioritize empiricism: Whatever worked, China should do.
Deng Xiaoping, who became China’s leader in 1978, was part of the reform crowd and began promoting the empirical approach with a saying: “Seek truth from facts.” Under Deng, China remained authoritarian and could be brutally repressive. But it was also practical — firing incompetent local officials, admitting students to schools based on performance and opening up its economy to investment and competition. It’s no coincidence that China since 1978 has enjoyed one of the most phenomenal economic booms on record.
This history was called to mind when reading the heart-rending story of Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist in Wuhan who in late December tried to sound a warning about the Coronavirus. Instead of listening to him, Communist Party officials muzzled and criticized him. Dr. Li later contracted the virus himself, from one of his patients and then died.
Under China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, the government has moved away from Deng’s empirical approach and back toward Mao’s rigid ideology. The Coronavirus epidemic is an example of the damage that such an approach can do. Unlike a half-century ago, China now is a powerful, globally integrated country, which means that its current medical and economic crises have easily evolved into global tragedies.
Grief and Wariness at a Vigil for Li Wenliang, the Doctor Who Tried to Warn China About the Coronavirus
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/grief-and-wariness-at-a-vigil-for-li-wenliang-the-doctor-who-tried-to-warn-china-about-the-coronavirus?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker
Grief and Wariness at a Vigil for Li Wenliang, the Doctor Who Tried to Warn China About the Coronavirus
We’re in a Petri Dish: How a Coronavirus Ravaged a Cruise Ship
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/22/world/asia/coronavirus-japan-cruise-ship.html