i think people like confucius and jesus and the prophets of israel and the rabbis and the profit mohammed ever are taking a leading awaiting the sense that even though none of us have ever had an experience with an entirely just society that things ought to be like that and they have kept that voice alive even at the time when there was no hope articulating it in the dilemma of the civilization. >> host: you write about the crusades and the inclination. when people talk about religion being the cause of the violence would bring up the crusades and the inclination to totally religious inspired actions yet you say that isn't true. can you explain that? >> guest: sure because as i say we go to war for many reasons. we never do anything purely for god. belief become i know because i tried for seven years to do every action and it's impossible because the motivation is always so entirely mixed. they were certainly like all human activities were with religious passion that the pope was also politically motivated. he wanted to use the likes of europe to extend his power to the east especially as

and so i think that people like confucius and jesus and the buddha and the prophets of israel and the rabbis and the prophet mohammad were all articulating this ingrained sense that even though none of us have ever had an experience of an entirely just society, that things ought to be like that, and they have kept that voice alive even at a time when there was no hope of articulating it politically in the dilemma of civilization. >> host: karen, you write about the crusades and the inquisition, and i think if -- i think what most people, when they talk about religion being the cause of violence, would bring up the crusades and the inquisition as two totally religious inspired actions. and yet you say that's not necessarily true. can you explain that? >> guest: no -- yes, sure. because as i say, we go to war for many, many interrelated reasons. we never do anything purely for god. believe me, i know because i tried as a nun for seven years to do every action entirely for god and it's impossible because our motivation is always so entirely mixed. now, the crusades were certainly imbued

always prophets and sages, i'm thinking of the prophets of israel, for example, jesus, mohammad, confucius, who spoke out against this system of oppression and castigated people, ruleres, for oprocessing the poor, had harsh words for those miami said their prayers or worshiped in the temple but neglected the plight of the poor and opressed, so -- >> host: so, are you saying that violence was a good thing or is a good thing or can be a good thing? or more? because without it we wouldn't have civilization. it's kind of a conundrum. >> guest: absolutely. the civilization is a dilema for us all. of course i don't think violence and warfare is a good thing. it's appalling just that the system of agrean oppression was appalling but it's a dilemma, and the american monk says that all those of us who benefit from a simple of oppression are implicated in the suffering it has been caused and all of us alive today owe our civilizational achievements and our privilegedded lifestyles to all those millions of men and women who were oprocessed four or five -- opressed four or five thousandees, the mass o

we have this great tradition so confucius was revived 2,500 years after his death.rning, being taught how to pray toward his statue. c-span: did you work? >>guest: i i did. i had to get used to the sound. i went outside and asked my neighbor. do you hear it in your house we hear it all day long. it is driving me nuts. he said, you should go complain. why me?. why me? you are a foreigner. they will listen to you. c-span: sorry to interrupt, the street sweeper. >>guest: one of the crew of guys who wore these outfits. i could not tell them apart. all all day long they would go around the neighborhood. one day i was standing out there talking with the same guy, and one of the sweepers came up and said, can you see on the face of that rock is the face of the emperor. and he spoke with a strong provincial accent and he said, come back to us when you have learned how to speak and he wandered back off. the sweeper said, you know, people don't respect me. they think i have no education. they don't know that i am a poet, the super king. if you if you go online you will find i

always profits and stages and i'm thinking of the prophets of israel for example jesus mohammed confucius who spoke out against the system of castigated people, rulers were oppressing the poor in this way and had harsh words for those people who said their prayers punctiliously are worshiped in the temple that neglected the plight of the poor and the oppressed. >> are you saying that violence was a good thing or is a good thing and can be a good thing because without it we wouldn't have civilization and that's kind of a conundrum. >> absolutely the civilization is a dilemma for us all. of course i don't think violence and warfare is a good thing. the system of agrarian oppression was utterly appalling but it's a dilemma. and the american trappist monks said all those of us who benefit from a system of oppression are in some way implicated in the suffering that has been caused. .. >> the book is called "food politics," how the food introduces food and health. the author, marion nestle at new york university. professor nestle, how big is the u.s. food industry by >> guest: acr miss. a vast

>> reporter: he's one of millions of chinese returning to buddhist and confucius temples that in times have been condemned by the government. more than four decades ago, in the china's revolution, in temples were destroyed or defaced. today these temples are alive. by some accounts, one out of every five chinese call themselves buddhists. >> some scholars say the search for fate is linked to china's massive environmental problems. >> in a world in which capitalism and socialism and consumerism have created a kind of industrial boeheim moth that is draining the cities and polluting the soil and the water, you have a heart res world. >> i translated -- >> reporter: martin palmer shown in the chinese tv broadcast is based in the u.k. but working in china nearly 20 years, urging religious groups to respond to the crisis and encourage conservation. in 2006, he realized this message was also being heard by the communist party. >> i was called in for a meeting in 2006. thethey want religions to help s bring compassion back. >> brown: bu>> reporter: but wht that persuades an individual to cros

so confucius was revived and the temp was active and tour groups were going through and being taught how it pray. >> reporter: did you work in the house all of the time? >> i did. i had to get used to this sound of the confucian philosophy and i asked my neighbor once, we were chatting about it, and he had do you hear it in your house. and he said it is driving me nuts. he run as scrap yard. and he said you know, you should go complain about it. and i said why me? and he said you are a foreigner so they will listen to you. >> host: going bangladesh -- back to the street sweeper. >> >> guest: all day long they would go along and sweep up the streets. one day i cause standing out the talking the dpi who runs the scrap regard and one of the sweepers came up to us and said you have see on the face of that rock is the face of the emperor. and we said what? and he spoke with a strong proventional accident and john said come back if you lunch to speak proper dialect. and i talked to the sweeper and they said people don't respect me thinking i have no education or culture but i am a poet and

jesus, mohammed, confucius who spoke out against the system and castigated people, rulers who are oppressinghe poor in this way had harsh words for those people who said their prayers are worshiped in the temple, but neglected the plight of the poor or the oppressed. >> now i was going to say, so are you saying that violence was a good name? there is a good and art can be a good day. without it there is kind of a conundrum. >> absolutely. civilization is a dilemma for us all. of course i don't think violence and warfare is a good name. it is apologist as the system of agrarian depression is utterly appalling. but it is a dilemma. and the american blog says that all of last to benefit from a system of oppression are in somewhat implicated in the suffering that it causes -- that has been caused and all of a sudden i've today i'll are civilizational achievements our privileged lifestyle to all those millions of men and women who were oppressed for or 5000 years in this way, the mass of society. .. producer of booktv and they are wawing walking here. he is going to join us to do a call-in on civ

know you all have probably read recently in "the wall street journal" talking about some of these confucius institutes about a fear that the governments were paying their way into college and university campuses to put out a particular vumt. i think colleges and universities have to be very, very careful before accepting those kinds of gifts. because again, the whole point of academic freedom is to follow truth wherever it may lead. and if a gift is so prescriptive that it means certain areas are off-limits, then it fundamentally undermines academic freedom. it raises another interesting issue as well. because we often help donors who would like to see certain areas of a field covered on a college campus. so for instance, if someone wants to introduce a free markets economic course and it's not otherwise available. we encourage donors to do that and we do it because sometimes students can not find otherwise on campus exposure to those areas. but it does raise even enough instances of the question of academic freedom that have to be looked at very closely. and it also underscores the institu