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2024-25 T1 7 Ronan Lecture

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46 views32 pages

2024-25 T1 7 Ronan Lecture

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wongtosang8
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UGFN1000

In Dialogue with Nature


與自然對話

Dr. Li Ming Kenneth


Lecturer
General Education Foundation Programme
Office of University General Education
Course Design of UGFN1000

• Part 1. Human exploration of the physical universe


• Part 2. Human exploration of the biological world
• Part 3. Our understanding of human understanding
– Text 7: Ronan, The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China:
An Abridgement of Joseph Needham’s Original Text

Core question:
How to explain the natural world from an ancient Chinese view
UGFN Text 7
• The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: An Abridgement
of Joseph Needham’s Original Text (Vol. 1)
– Abridgment: Colin Ronan
– Original text: Joseph Needham
• Part of Chapter 10
– The Fundamental Ideas of Chinese Science
• Note Science: 有系統地對待⾃然世界的理解

– Wade–Giles system 威妥瑪拼音: a Romanization system for


Mandarin Chinese: Chhi氣 (not qi)
– Original Chinese texts of Needham’s quotes can be found in
“Reading Guide”

3
Joseph Needham (1900-1995)
• 李約瑟
• British biochemist, historian and sinologist
• Titles
– 1941 Fellow of the Royal Society
– 1971 Fellow of British Academy
– 1992 Companionship of Honour
Needham's question:
• Awards 為什麼中國古時科學比⻄⽅更進步,現代科學還是由⻄
⽅發現先?
– 1968 Leonardo da Vinci Medal
– 1979 Dexter Award

4
Structure of Text 7

(2) Five
elements

(1) Yin-yang

(3) Associative
thinking
蚚蜴的顏⾊變化—> 易 = 變化

FN quiz 不⽤背表

6
modern science:
deduction 還原論(愈睇愈細--> 粒⼦) 整全論(所有東⻄是由同⼀條氣組成,整體去理解 )

Modern science vs. Taoism

7
8
Chhi (Qi 氣)
• 天地一切事物組成的本原:氣
• 宇宙間的一切事物,均是氣的運行與
變化的結果
• 《易經》
– I Ching
– Book of Change
– 300 BC

Title page of a Song dynasty (c. 1100) edition of the I Ching 9


相對的變化
(1) Two Fundamental Forces
陽氣:對比來得出比較快
陰氣:對比來得出比較慢
陰陽是⼀對名詞,描述變化
Nothing related to
• “One yin and one yang; that is the Dao.” (I Ching) mechanical force!
(c.f. Newton’s “force”)
「一陰一陽之謂道。」《易經》
“.. there are only two fundamental forces or operations in the universe, now
one dominating, now the other, in a wave-like succession.” [para 27]

• Only two states of qi operating in nature, one yin and one yang.
– 變化有規律,簡單來說就是陰陽的規律
Two Fundamental Forces
• Yin and yang are both opposite and complementary to each other.
– Yin: darkness, femaleness, cloud, cold …
– Yang: light, maleness, sunshine, warmth …

「兩儀生四象,四象生八卦。」 《周易》

Taijitu liangyi
太極兩儀圖
[Text 7, para 32]
12
Two Fundamental Forces
與⽜頓的forces, 外在⼒沒關

周敦頤 (1017-1073) 《太極圖說》


「無極而太極。太極動而生陽,動極而靜,靜而生
陰,靜極復動。一動一靜,互為其根;分陰分陽,
兩儀立焉。陽變陰合,而生水、火、木、金、土。
五氣順布,四時行焉。」

Qi  two fundamental forces  five elements


• Five different kinds of fundamental process or relationships
• Neither fundamental substances nor chemical elements

13
(2) Five Elements (wu hsing 五行)
五⾏:氣的流動、變化

• Four orders
– The Cosmogonic Order
– The Mutual Production Order
– The Mutual Conquest Order
– The ‘Modern’ Order
• Two principles
– Principle of Control
– Principle of Masking
(2) Five Elements (wu hsing 五行)
• Four orders
– The Cosmogonic Order
– The Mutual Production Order
– The Mutual Conquest Order
– The ‘Modern’ Order
• Two principles
– Principle of Control
– Principle of Masking
Two Principles
W: conquered
element

• Principle of Control 相制 F: controlling


element
• Example:
Fire F controls the process of
Metal M conquering Wood W.
Two Principles

• Principle of masking 相化
• Example:
Wood W conquers (reduces) Earth
E but Fire F masks the process by
producing Earth E.
Para. 19, line 5:
“…the process, since Fire will
destroy Wood and make Earth
(ash)…”
The Symbolic Correlations
象徵性的關聯
“The Five Elements gradually came to be associated with every
conceivable category of things in the universe that it was possible to
classify in fives”
氣包括所有物質和過程變化 (Para 21)
“…the Five Elements were believed to lie behind every substance and
every process. With these Five Elements were associated or correlated
everything in the universe susceptible of a fivefold arrangement.”
(Para 30)

18
The Symbolic Correlations
2024:甲辰
試試將表九的項目配置到

以方位為基礎的系統裡
• 方
• 行
• 宮
• 色
• 蟲
• 陰陽

21
Criticism

22
(3) ‘Associative’ Thinking 聯想思考

Eat a lot Gain a lot become fat


of calories

Eat a lot Like a pig Become piggy fat


似:留有想像空間
“Two Laws” (para 32)
• Law of Similarity 相似定律
– Like produces like
• Law of contagion 感染定律
– Things that have once been in contact, but are not so any longer, still
continue to act upon one another

24
(3) ‘Associative’ Thinking 聯想思考
相互感染對⽅

Not “inductive” reasoning

25
“Their [Things] existence depended on the whole world-organism, and they
reacted on one another by a kind of mysterious resonance.” (Para 34)

(reading guide)
Chinese vs. Greek (Para. 37)
• Chinese
– to systematize the universe of things and events into a
structural pattern which conditioned all the mutual
influences of its different parts
– Order, pattern, organism
• Greek
– Democritus

27
Democritus (c. 460– c. 370 BC)
提出原⼦論(世間不會切
割出比粒⼦還細的東⻄)
• Two types of basic realities of kosmos
– Atom 原子 and Void 虛空 void: for 粒⼦轉動

• Atom
– Infinite in number
– Indivisible, indestructible, uncreated
• Atomism 原子論
– Meaning of life and death
– Conceptualization of the world
– The whole universe is the “dance of atoms”
– All changes in the world are nothing but
changes in the arrangement of atoms

28
How to explain the natural world?

29
Questions to Ponder on…

• Do you think yin-yang and five elements are true theories?


• Do you think the ancient Chinese view of nature is primitive?
• How did Taoism different from modern science?
• Which view, the Chinese natural philosophical view or the modern scientific view,
is better? Why? What are the criteria of your judgement?
• Chinese medicine is developed on Chhi, Yin-yang and the five elements. Do you
believe in the efficacy of Chinese medicine? Why (not)?
• Feng Shui is developed on Yin-yang and the five elements. Do you believe Feng
Shui? Why (not)?

30
Reminders
• PASS (optional, HYS G03, 2:30-3:30 pm)
• 2nd movie discussion (1% OP)  RoboCop (2014)
– Date and time: Nov 7 (Thu), 5:40-9:15 pm
– Venue: MMW LT2
– Registration deadline: Nov 3 (11:59 pm) (canceled if fewer than 10 participants)
– Registration link: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=1460492
• Next tutorial
– Quiz in Texts 5 and 7 (be on time!)
– Discussion on Text 7
• Next Friday
– Rooftop discussion (9:00-11:00 am, be on time!)

31
Enjoy Reading
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