Thread 24811902

>The four arts of the Chinese scholar were the four main academic and artistic talents required of the aristocratic ancient Chinese scholar-gentleman. They were the mastery of the qin (the guqin, a stringed instrument, 琴), qi (the strategy game of Go, 棋), shu (Chinese calligraphy, 書) and hua (Chinese painting, 畫), and are also referred to by listing all four: 琴棋書畫; qínqíshūhuà.

How much better would the world be if everyone in politics or working in the government had to study: a musical instrument, a visual art, a strategic board game, and literature[1]?

It seems like now (at least in the US) people in politics are invariably law school graduates, former military, or from business/corporate world. I think this is only allowing a worldview where government and politics is only seen through lenses of law, military, and economics instead of how to further virtue and beauty within each person. Which is sad when you think about it.

[1] replacing calligraphy

>>24811902 (OP)
nothing would change.

>>24811905
Everything would change

>>24811907
the renaissance happened because the black death reset Europe and then a couple rich dudes in italy decided to patronize art. "virtue" has nothing to do with it.

>>24811918
it began with petrarch

>>24811902 (OP)
>The four arts of the Chinese scholar
What is the time period here?

>>24811968
As early as Confucious time (to be well versed in martial matters and literary). For the 4 arts mentioned here, the time period should be the Tang dynasty onwards.

>>24811993
And yet their dynasties still collapsed over and over again, culminating with the Qing and the hundred years of humiliation. Maybe the arts and board games did not help them after all.

>>24811968
could be tang if i’m not mistaken

>>24811997
>the hundred years of humiliation
And they're still around after all, and as a major player.
My problem with the chinese State is that
(I'd argue) it is not good for their citizens.

You'd not like to live under their rule.

>>24811997
This is just pathetic, you can do better with this ironic niggerfaggot-condescending attitude.
To refute your niggerfaggotry, the Qing succumbs to Kongzi and the like. The hundred years is only a blight in the grand scheme of history.

bump

>>24811902 (OP)
I think that's interesting but a better version for me would be for everyone to learn:
>one musical instrument
>history
>philosophy
>literature

>if only we followed the chinks in their philosophical pursuits
actually retarded.

>>24812065
wasn't original Confucianism basically corrupted by Taoism and Buddhism by the Tang

>>24812499
Perhaps, does it matter? What even is 'corruption' in your opinion?
For something that had existed that long it ought to have complemented some other philosophical thoughts. Not to mention that the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing - in my knowledge - didn't apply any of the Taoism and Buddhism metric in their statecrafts. (Yes of course there were famous authors and literary works, but their contribution is minimal.)

Or I'm just being ignorant. Daoism was written by an alien and one should not force himself to comprehend that kind of vague nonsense; Buddhism is cringe -- me think.

>How much better would the world be if everyone in politics or working in the government had to study: a musical instrument, a visual art, a strategic board game, and literature[1]?
they'd be even more insufferable

I thought archery and horse riding was also included?

>>24811902 (OP)
Yea imagine if the US government was ruled by pampered elites with too much time on their hands. I couldnt imagine.

>>24811902 (OP)
It is this way though. The real elites still send their kids to private schools where they receive a classical Western education, regardless of their political alignment. Classical languages, literature, history, etc. They only force-feed the slop to people like you and me.

>>24811902 (OP)
Yeah, if it were that way it would be great. Society's too materialist and capitalist now.

>>24811902 (OP)
learn to code

>>24812903
Did you guys see this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IhuFgiWNS4

Basically the guy was a famous Chinese author and he also invented a Chinese typewriter that could type 90,000 characters

>>24811902 (OP)
Your faggot government of musicians and gaymers would get annihilated by cutthroat businessmen who run other governments

>>24814490
>other governments
with their tranny generals? i don't think so

>>24811907
Weren't the Medici's and their ilk just Italians doing Jew things? Ie banking

>>24811902 (OP)
>How much better would the world be if everyone in politics or working in the government had to study: a musical instrument, a visual art, a strategic board game, and literature
Then the people ruling over others would just be smarter. It's irrelevant anyway because it's all about to be turned over to computers.

>>24812051
>You'd not like to live under their rule.
me? no. but most people just care about the rice and the chicken in the pot. they are not intellectuals and will happily live under whoever can give them what they can stuff in their disgusting fat faces.

>>24812065
>Kongzi
what the hell is that?

>>24814490
Gamerphobia is NOT ok

>>24815170
Confucius [translated from Kong(fu)zi)].

>>24811997
>flourishing is useless because things end
this is just loserfaggot nihilism, not even the based kind

>>24812756
You're right, it should be ruled by grindset minded slaves with no time for anything but the side hustle

>>24812868
The ones that actually take to that education don't go into politics or administration for the most part. What you actually see in those fields are the

>>24815452
the?

>>24811902 (OP)
Its funny, because those four things used to be a very common part of education. Growing up, nearly everyone did piano lessons, learned guitar, and a lot played in the band. Everyone did drawing/painting. Everyone played board games. Everyone read (and wrote in calligraphy).

>>24811902 (OP)
The only qualification for politicians that should matter is the vote of their constituents. Regardless if he is a literal caveman, as long as a person is elected then he is qualified for politics.

>>24815476
It's basically true with modern education that you speak of, but the level at which the Chinese did it probably far surpassed what we do as kids growing up.

>>24815549
I imagine so. But, in a funny way, doing those things at a basic/intermediate level will still greatly benefit a person. It a bit like the law of diminishing returns.

>>24814478
>The sole known prototype was stored at Mergenthaler for over a decade until it was assumed lost when the company moved out of New York City.[21][22] Tai-yi attempted to recover the prototype during a trip to the United States in the 1960s, but was only able to make contact with a Mergenthaler engineer three months after the move. Unknown to the wider world, Mergenthaler toolmaker Douglas Jung had kept the typewriter in his home basement, where it remained after his death in 2004. On 23 January 2025, the typewriter resurfaced in a social media post by Nelson Felix, husband of Jung's granddaughter Jennifer Felix, who found the prototype while he was cleaning out the basement and was unaware of its significance.

>>24815452
>The ones that actually take to that education don't go into politics or administration for the most part.
It isn't a question of "taking to it", you don't take to oxygen or water. These kids are molded from birth in ways that you or I aren't. They're marinated in Western culture from a young age, it doesn't matter if they're bored when they're being forced to study Latin or English naval history. The young Bush jr was by all accounts an alcoholic frat bro and yet he spends his retirement oil painting and reading.

>>24811902 (OP)
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EugfcGHVf1A&pp=0gcJCR4Bo7VqN5tD
It’s funny you want to learn these ancient Chinese arts, because I went to a school for “elites” (where you’d most expect students to receive some classical western education) and instead of learning shit like Latin or Greek the most common language taught by far is Mandarin.

Since we in the West don’t teach our culture maybe we’ll be learning those arts pretty soon. Could be worse if I’m being honest.

>>24816735
>you don't take to oxygen or water
that's how life came about you know, I see it as the same thing on a much larger scale; "the blind striving of the will"
>molded from birth in ways that you or I aren't
speak for yourself chud

>>24811902 (OP)
not really on topic, but how the fuck did the chinks paint something so beautiful in 10th century? it completely mogs everything else up tu the renaissance

>>24818399
there is a lot of stuff older than that even that is just as or more beautiful

>>24818696
post it

>>24817825
The level of larp you're on is embarrassing.

>>24819678
projection, you don't know me

Ear cleaning is the cat's meow after seeing it on xioaync.

>>24818399
Check out stuff from the Ming Dynasty too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty_painting#/media/File:T'ang_Yin_003.jpg
They're surprising photorealistic for anything pre-renaissance