New Philosopher

Nothing but change

“If you can in one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation.” These words were reportedly inscribed on the washbasin of Cheng Tang, the first king of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE), and the daily reminder emphasised continuous improvement.

It is a nice motto to live by, and certainly more romantic than American poet Ezra Pound’s take on it, “Make it New”, which became a catchphrase of the modernist movement. “Make it New” encouraged writers and artists to break from tradition and drive for innovation and constant change. It inspired Marcel Duchamp to submit a toilet to a New York art exhibition to rupture traditional approaches to art and forge

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