The Great Learning ... Wisdom from the East

The ancients who wished to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the uttermost their knowledge. Such extention of knowledge lay in the investigation of things. ... From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides. — page 245 The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.

I started reading Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel, "The Diamond Age" a few days ago and it is a remarkable novel. I blends together a variety of cultural influences into a patchwork future where nanotechnology is king and allows quite remarkable accomplishments. These are variously abused and used in the fragmented sub-cultures that make up this futuristic vision. Each micro-culture in Stephenson's novel is an extension of historical cultures and influences only seen through the particular macroscope of Stephenson's vision. I have not finished reading the novel yet, but I take it to be an indictment of our own time and our own rather relative and nihilistic culture.