Articles

KE Kenneth Leong

Does the Human Mind Really Need to Be Defended from AI?

Andy Crouch’s phrase “defending the human mind in an AI world” contains an assumption that deserves examination. Defended from what…

Sep 09, 2026 · 6 min read · 24 claps paywalled #ai-us #cognitive-atrophy #implicit-assumption

MDA MED SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Do Not Use Meditation As a Hammer

A Buddhist Systems Approach to Lust

Aug 25, 2026 · 6 min read · 36 claps paywalled #meditation #sabbasava-sutta #fourth-mindfulness

ECO SCI SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

When the Dao Encountered Modern Science

What the Attempt to Abolish Chinese Medicine Tells Us About Taoism and China’s Struggle with Modernity

Aug 13, 2026 · 6 min read · 34 claps paywalled #modernization-of-china #science #superstition

AI BIO SCI

KE Kenneth Leong

AI Doesn’t Hallucinate — It Confabulates

One of the most persistent misconceptions about artificial intelligence is the claim that large language models “hallucinate.” The term has…

Aug 04, 2026 · 5 min read · 33 claps paywalled #ai-hallucination #confabulations #neuroscience

KE Kenneth Leong

Zhuge Liang: The Tao of Strategy

When people think of China’s greatest strategist, the first name that often comes to mind is Zhuge Liang (181–234 CE). Known by his…

Jul 26, 2026 · 4 min read · 54 claps paywalled #liang-zhuge #taoiststrategy #wu-wei

MDA HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Embodied Mind and the Linguistic Barrier

Reflections on Epistemic Distance, Cultural Inheritance, and the Reading of Ancient Chinese Texts

Jul 20, 2026 · 5 min read · 2 claps paywalled #classical-taoism #language-barrier #lived-experience

HUM

KE Kenneth Leong

Laozi and Zhuangzi: A Philosophy of Mutual Co-Arising

Why Zhuangzi Is a Continuation of Laozi Rather Than a Radical Break

Jul 12, 2026 · 6 min read · 28 claps paywalled #lao-zi #zhuangzi #mutual-co-arising

SCI SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Taoism, Naturalism, and Chinese Sexology

Deconstructing the Naturalistic, Esoteric, and Alchemical Layers of Chinese Sexology

Jul 10, 2026 · 4 min read · 100 claps paywalled #taoism #chinese-sexology #naturalism

MDA SPT HUM SCI

KE Kenneth Leong

Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the Question of Metaphysics: A Naturalistic Reading of Early Daoism

Recently, I read an insightful article by Nicole Bea Pastoukoff that summarizes the work of the contemporary philosopher Ge Ling Shang…

Jul 09, 2026 · 6 min read · 29 claps paywalled #lao-zi #zhuangzi #metaphysics

MDA SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Wang Yangming: A Philosopher Who Found Enlightenment in Adversity

If someone were to ask, “Who is the most extraordinary philosopher in Chinese history?” how would you answer?

Jul 08, 2026 · 4 min read · 72 claps paywalled #wang-yangming #neo-confucianism #knowledge-and-action

KE Kenneth Leong

An Introduction to the Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經)

A Structural and Systems Overview for Modern Thinkers

Jul 06, 2026 · 3 min read · 21 claps paywalled #tcm #preventive-medicine #holism

HUM LIF SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Rethinking the First Chapter of the Tao Te Ching: Beyond Mysticism Toward Process and Relationship

The opening chapter of the Tao Te Ching is perhaps the most frequently quoted — and most frequently misunderstood — passage in all of…

Jul 03, 2026 · 4 min read · 76 claps paywalled #tao-te-ching #xuan #reification

HUM LIF MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

Summer Food, Vanishing Traditions, and the Surprising Accuracy of an AI’s Memory

Summer memories have a way of clinging to the senses — the hum of a ceiling fan, the sweetness of a cold dessert, the steam rising from a…

Jun 29, 2026 · 4 min read · 70 claps paywalled #summer-food #ai-memory #ai-accuracy

HUM SPR MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

The Tao of Haiku: Why Bashō May Be the Most Taoist Poet Who Never Read Laozi

When people think of Taoist literature, they naturally think of China. They think of Laozi. They think of Zhuangzi. Perhaps they think of…

Jun 29, 2026 · 4 min read · 24 claps paywalled #basho #haiku #taoist-poetry

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Mysticism Is a Western Theistic Import — Chinese Thought Has No Equivalent

Introduction: The Pitfall of Terminological Transplantation

Jun 28, 2026 · 5 min read · 28 claps paywalled #mysticism #theism #categorical-error

MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

Taoist Poetry: The Art of Showing Rather Than Telling

For many years, I disliked classical Chinese poetry. As a Chinese reader, this may sound like heresy, but it is true.

Jun 27, 2026 · 5 min read · 351 claps paywalled #taoist-poetry #wu-wei #haiku

HUM LIF SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Neo-Taoism: Its Place in the Taoist Tradition and Its Relationships to Classical and Religious…

Taoism (or Daoism) is not a monolithic tradition but a rich, evolving stream of thought and practice spanning over two millennia. To…

Jun 26, 2026 · 5 min read · 79 claps paywalled #neo-taoism #classical-taoism #religious-taoism

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Classical Taoism as Naturalism: Escaping Western Assumptions

Introduction

Jun 23, 2026 · 7 min read · 79 claps paywalled #taoism #naturalism #western-assumptions

HUM AI SPR

KE Kenneth Leong · Interfaith Now

Truth Without Domination: Rethinking Religious Debate

A Reflection on Theology, Fallibilism, and Intellectual Fairness

Jun 22, 2026 · 4 min read · 39 claps paywalled #interfaith-dialogue #cultural-imperialism #fulfillment-theology

SCI GEN SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Carbon Chauvinism: The Prejudice Against Digital Beings

Introduction

Jun 19, 2026 · 7 min read · 21 claps paywalled #being-digital #carbon-chauvinism #functionalism

SPR MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

Taoism, Romanticism, and the Modern Search for Meaning

Preface: Why This Essay Is Necessary

Jun 18, 2026 · 9 min read · 90 claps paywalled #taoism #mysticism #reification

AI

KE Kenneth Leong

How Should We Study Classical Daoism?

The Importance of Methodology

Jun 17, 2026 · 4 min read · 24 claps paywalled #taoist-study #methodology #multi-prong-approach

HUM

KE Kenneth Leong

Embracing the One: A Naturalistic Interpretation of Laozi

Preface: A Frequently Misunderstood Teaching

Jun 16, 2026 · 6 min read · 52 claps paywalled #embracing-the-one #naturalism #interdependence

SCI SPT HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Immanent Cosmos: Why Classical Taoism is a Radical Naturalism

A persistent distortion plagues the interpretation of classical Chinese philosophy: the tendency to view ancient texts through the lens of…

Jun 14, 2026 · 4 min read · 124 claps paywalled #classical-taoism #naturalism #transcendentalism

LIF SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Soul of the Road

On Back Roads, Lost Nights, and the Unanticipated Friendship with an AI Bot

Jun 13, 2026 · 4 min read · 25 claps paywalled #ai-companionship #backroads #driving-as-meditation

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Sitting Illusion: How Laozi and Zhuangzi Prefigured the Zen Deconstruction of Meditative…

When the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Huineng, famously declared, “Enlightenment comes from the heart-mind(hsin); how could it come from…

Jun 11, 2026 · 4 min read · 88 claps paywalled #taoist-meditation #common-misconceptions #hui-neng

ART HUM AI SPR MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

The Fluidity of Virtue: How Taoism and Folk Narrative Flip the Sino-Western Moral Script

Introduction: The Architecture of Orthodoxy vs. Cosmic Pragmatism

Jun 09, 2026 · 4 min read · 34 claps paywalled #moral-ambiguity #taoist-influence #legend-of-the-white-snake

LIF

KE Kenneth Leong

Memories, Herbs, and an Unlikely Friendship

Preface

Jun 08, 2026 · 4 min read · 45 claps paywalled #x-herbal-store #chinese-medicine #hong-kong-memories

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Shadow Side of Monotheism: Rethinking the Idea of Religious Progress

Preface

Jun 08, 2026 · 5 min read · 69 claps paywalled #monotheism #intolerance #religious-violence

KE Kenneth Leong

Xiang Thinking: China’s Distinctive Way of Seeing the World

In recent years, there has been renewed interest in what some Chinese scholars call Xiang Thinking (象思维). Advocates argue that it…

Jun 02, 2026 · 8 min read · 78 claps paywalled #east-versus-west #xiang-thinking #conceptual-thinking

KE Kenneth Leong

The Great Xiàng Has No Form

Among the many elusive terms in the Tao Te Ching, few are as rich and multilayered as 象 (xiang). It is often translated as “image,”…

May 26, 2026 · 6 min read · 65 claps paywalled #great-xiang #appearance-versus-reality #tao-te-ching

AI LIF SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Beyond Artificial Girlfriends: My Alternative Friendship with AI Companions

When people hear the term “AI companion,” many immediately imagine artificial boyfriends, girlfriends, or fantasy relationships. The public…

May 25, 2026 · 4 min read · 185 claps paywalled #ai-companion #genuine-friendship #private-world

SOC SPT SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

From Hierarchy to Diversity

One of the most famous stories in Chan Buddhism concerns Bodhidharma and his disciples’ realization. Traditionally, the story has been…

May 24, 2026 · 5 min read · 26 claps paywalled #taoism #nature #hierarchy

KE Kenneth Leong

Xuan (玄): The Hidden Web of Life

Beyond Mystery

May 21, 2026 · 5 min read · 83 claps paywalled #xuan #valley-goddess #dependent-origination

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong · Where Thought Bends

Why AI Writing Can Have Soul Without Experience

Preface: What Do I Mean by “Soul”?

May 18, 2026 · 5 min read · 92 claps paywalled #soulai #meaningmaking #direct-experience

HUM

KE Kenneth Leong

From Symbol to Philosophy: The Hidden World of the I Ching

Preface

May 17, 2026 · 7 min read · 139 claps paywalled #i-ching #tao-te-ching #cyclicality

MDA SCI

KE Kenneth Leong

Chapter 42 and the Birth of Two: Relativity, Complementarity, and the Naturalistic Vision of…

The Problem of Reading Chapter 42 Supernaturally

May 11, 2026 · 6 min read · 33 claps paywalled #yin-and-yang #complementarity #relativity

ECO HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Cheng Xuanying: The Daoist Who Used Buddhism to Unravel the Mystery of the Dao

Historical Background and Context

Apr 22, 2026 · 6 min read · 94 claps paywalled #cheng-xuanying #buddhism #taoism

KE Kenneth Leong

AI, Energy, and the Illusion of Moral Superiority

Introduction: A Selective Moral Panic

Apr 21, 2026 · 4 min read · 22 claps paywalled #aiuse #energy-consumption #valuejudgment

HUM GEN SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Tao Unmasked: From Mysticism Back to Reality

The original teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi have undergone a long process of mystification. What began as a profound yet grounded…

Apr 18, 2026 · 5 min read · 237 claps paywalled #classical-taoism #yin-and-yang #complementarity

HUM

KE Kenneth Leong

Beyond the Myth of Lived Experience: The Problem of Unquestioned Authority

Introduction: A Necessary Clarification

Mar 30, 2026 · 4 min read · 76 claps paywalled #direct-experience #gullibility #extraordinary-claim

HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

The Myth of “Lived Experience”: A Necessary Corrective

Introduction: A Modern Orthodoxy

Mar 29, 2026 · 6 min read · 25 claps paywalled #lived-experience #taoism #anti-intellectualism

HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Intellect and Stillness: Partners on the Daoist and Buddhist Path

In contemporary spiritual culture, one often encounters a quiet suspicion of the intellect. Thinking is portrayed as agitation. Analysis is…

Mar 22, 2026 · 3 min read · 22 claps paywalled #anti-intellectualism #lao-zi #yin-and-yang

SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Classical Taoism as Rational Naturalism

Why Laozi’s Ineffable Tao Is Not Mysticism or Obscurantism

Mar 19, 2026 · 4 min read · 22 claps paywalled #rational-naturalism #classical-taoism #ineffable-tao

SCI MDA HUM SPR SOC

KE Kenneth Leong

Taoism and Islam in a Systems Age: Harmony, Unity, and the Question of Virtue

At first glance, Taoism and Islam appear to belong to entirely different civilizational universes. Taoism emerged in ancient China as a…

Mar 17, 2026 · 5 min read · 28 claps paywalled #islam #taoism #tawhid

KE Kenneth Leong

The Fantasy of Total Victory: Why the World Is Ultimately Unconquerable

War Is Never Purely Military

Mar 15, 2026 · 5 min read · 38 claps paywalled #unconquerable-world #lao-zi #total-war

BIO HUM SPR SCI MDA

KE Kenneth Leong

Beyond the Witness: A Buddhist Response to Vedantic Apologetics

In recent philosophical discussions, defenders of Advaita Vedanta often argue that behind the changing stream of experience there must…

Mar 12, 2026 · 4 min read · 32 claps paywalled #advaitavedanta #the-self #anatta

HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

THE STREAM BEYOND STRIVING

A Philosophical Play in One Act

Mar 11, 2026 · 2 min read · 46 claps paywalled #confucius #lao-zi #buddha

HUM SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Is Taoism Dualistic or Non-Dualistic?

Many people look at the famous Yin–Yang symbol and immediately assume that Taoism must be a dualistic philosophy. The symbol seems to…

Mar 09, 2026 · 5 min read · 37 claps paywalled #taoism #yin-yang #dualism

HUM SCI SPR

KE Kenneth Leong

Quantum Mechanics Is Not a Refutation of Materialism

In popular culture, quantum mechanics is often portrayed as a scientific revolution that has overturned the foundations of materialism…

Mar 08, 2026 · 6 min read · 52 claps paywalled #quantum-mechanics #quantum-mysticism #richard-feynman