Yin and Yang: the Nature of Scientific Explanation in a Culture
ABSTRACT: I explore the nature of scientific explanation in a culture centering on the doctrine of yin and yang combined with that of five phrases, wu-hsing (YYFP). I note how YYFP functions as an alternative to the causal way of thinking, as well as the meaning of scientific explanation in a culture. I also consider whether a scientific concept becomes metaphorical when it is superseded by an alternative organizing concept.
To a Western eye, or even to a contemporary Eastern eye, many explanations given under the doctrine of yin and yang combined with that of five phases (wu-hsing), apparently intended to be scientific, would seem either absurd or too arbitrary at first sight. An intriguing fact, however, is that the doctrine of yin and yang and that of five phases (hereafter YYFP) has prevailed until quite recently in almost all the areas of Far-Eastern cultures including medicine, astronomy, music, dance, architecture, geomancy.
In this essay, I pay attention to the questions such as how YYFP functioned as an alternative to the causal way of thinking, and what it is to be a scientific or theoretical explanation in a culture. I also consider the question of whether a scientific concept becomes metaphorical when it is superseded by an alternative organizing concept. Let me begin with the development of the concept of YYFP, as you may not know in the first place what YYFP is.
Until around the 4th century B.C., yin and yang were current words for "sunshine" and "shade" and were used separately from the five phases of change. Soon after, they came to be included in the six ch'i (six powers or forces) of Heaven. The six ch'i refer to wind, rain, dark, light,...
... middle of paper ...
.... Recent developments in quantum physics, biology and information science have put us in a position where we question the uniqueness of the causal-mechanical model of science. But these developments, even though sciences based on non-causal concepts might dominate in the culture, would not eradicate the causal way people have viewed the world and themselves, but only relegate the concept of cause to the realm of metaphor, a rhetorical way of putting things. The concept of cause then would no longer be a scientific concept, but would still be alive in the culture. What brings a change in the general worldview then? This would be the question I still have to ask.
Notes
(1) Tr.(in Korean)& ed. by Chung Young Ho (Jayou-Moongo, 1993), pp.22-23. English translation is mine.
(2) Cf. Tung Chung-suh, Ch'un-ch'iu fan-lu (Luxurian Gems of the Spring and Autumn Annals).
Modern scientific trends developed from philosophies of the past, they are part of the philosophical path that a philosopher must walk when undergoing self-reflection. They are a presentation of modern-day prejudices, which the philosopher must seek to understand and overcome
"Main Concepts of Taoism: Yin and Yang." Taoism and the Taoist Arts. April 2002. http://www.taoistarts.net/main.html#yin LeGuin, Ursula K. The Lathe of Heaven. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2000.
Yin and Yang – is a symbol used in relation to a Chinese philosophy to represent balance between good and evil or dark and light (Dictionary)
Rhetoric is the use of words, through speech or writings, for the sake of persuasion and argument. The name Aristotle is known around the world. He is one of the most famous philosophers throughout history. Aristotle introduced to us the concept of the Rhetorical Triangle and three Rhetorical Appeals in order to apply structure to persuasion and argument. The Rhetorical Triangle, consists of the audience, the author, and the text, or message. Each Rhetorical Appeal corresponds to a point of the triangle. Logos, which is Greek for words, follows logic and applies to the text. The Greek word for character is ethos, it refers to credibility applies to the authority of the author to speak on the given subject.
In light of what is going on in the world today, eating disorders seem farfetched and frivolous. Anorexia Nervosa could be considered a classic example of a serious eating disorder as it is defined as having a fatal a...
123, No. 2 -. 3203. The. (May 18, 1956), pp. 896-897. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0036-8075%2819560817%293%3A124%3A3216%3C322%3ATPP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L This site is very reliable.
“The Death Penalty in America: A Cultural and Historical Analysis.” Supreme Court Debates (2004): pp. 259-288.
College is an extremely dangerous time for the outbreak of eating disorders. The transition from high school to college is stressful and more often than not leads to bad eating habits. The transition from dependence to independence is a huge step. With independence comes a new found freedom full of opportunities, but it also comes with a down fall. College is a whole new world and environment. College students go through a range of emotions from homesickness, peer pressure, responsibility, time management, and trying to juggle an academic and a social life. Bad eating habits or eating disorders serve as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress, overwhelming emotions, or alarming events. So it is not shocking that eating disorders develop during college years. While many people think that eating disorders are just problems with food, exercise, and weight issues, it is much more than that. Eating disorders more often than not show complicated psychological issues, such as: depression, low self-esteem and poor body image, and separation from loved ones. Throughout all the chaos in college, eating is one thing that a student can solely be in charge of. As stated in is there a Perfectonist in all of us? “We propose that individuals’ ways of coping and regulating emotions in the day are more likely to account for the dynamics of daily perfectionism…perfectionism on restriction could be understood as a compensatory and derivative attempt to restore feelings of control”. (Boone et al) Managing ones eating behavior when everything is out of control and out of place in their life can give students a sense of power and control.
Cause and effect is a tool used to link happenings together and create some sort of explanation. Hume lists the “three principles of connexion among ideas” to show the different ways ideas can be associated with one another (14). The principles are resemblance, contiguity, and cause and effect. The focus of much of An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding falls upon the third listed principle. In Section I, Hume emphasizes the need to uncover the truths about the human mind, even though the process may be strenuous and fatiguing. While the principle of cause and effect is something utilized so often, Hume claims that what we conclude through this process cannot be attributed to reason or understanding and instead must be attributed to custom of habit.
Today, America is plagued with eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Compulsive Eating Disorders. Each has its own characteristics that distinguish the illness yet there are some similarities that they also share. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as with most mental illnesses, eating disorders are not caused by just one factor but by a combination of behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal and social factors. Shockingly, they also report that in the United States, there are as many as 10 million females and 1 million males that are battling with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Additionally, another 25 million are struggling with binge eating disorders (www.NationalEatingDisorders.org). Typically, psychological factors such as depression and low self-esteem contribute to eating disorders...
Researchers study eating disorders to try to understand their many complexities. “Eating disorders are complicated psychiatric illnesses in which food is used to deal with unsettling emotions and difficult life issues” (Michel & Willard, 2003, p. 2). To help those with eating disorders, one must understand the causes, effects and treatments associated with the disorders. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Compulsive Overeating are three common eating disorders found in society today. “No one knows exactly what causes eating disorders. However, all socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural groups are at risk” (Matthews, 2001, p.3). Eating disorders are difficult to diagnose but can be deadly if left untreated.
Popper claims basic statements are not justified by experience, but accepted by choice or convention. This claim is argued through a rejection of ‘psychologism’ and inductivism. According to Popper, scientific theory can be seen the fog above a swamp full of basic statements; the acceptance of a theory comes from an evaluation of basic statements and the conscious decision to accept or reject the theory. Popper comes to this conclusion after considering the problem of psychologism, distinguishing science from non-science, examining the falsification of theories and their testability, and then comparing perceptual experience and basic statements to illustrate how we come to form and accept scientific theory as empirical. Poppers arguments are
It is important to be able to distinguish scientific, philosophical, religious, and speculative explanations and causes apart from each other. To be able to discern the four apart we need to first understand what they are and what their purpose is.
Six hundred years ago western culture adopted the general scientific model as an unproven assumed perspective. The general scientific model developed as a phenomenon of knowledge that could be tested and replicated by all. The general scientific model presents a foundation of perception upon which theories, assumptions, and most beliefs are based off. Only confined by human limitations, the general scientific model is perceived to have endless possibilities of achievable knowledge. According to the general scientific model there are simply four basic assumptions that base the key to all knowledge: every event has a cause, causes can be known, humans can discover the causes of events, and ignorance of causes is due to improper tools (Portko,
Hypothesis. Those presumptions of the hypothesis have a standout amongst three fundamental headings. Roy says that she accepts that her presumptions for those hypothesis need aid philosophical, exploratory What's more social. She puts stock that the greater part three territories need aid necessary to a comprehensive approach will recuperating. Those presumptions need aid related in full over aces (2011) and they are;. "philosophic - persons bring An shared relationship for those reality Furthermore a God- figure; mankind's significance is established for an omega perspective merging with those universe; lord may be extreme frisbee uncovered in the assorted qualities from claiming as much creation Also will be the regular fate of creation; persons use human innovative abilities for awareness, edification and faith; persons would responsible for entering those procedure of deriving, transforming, and manage those universe; experimental - frameworks from claiming matter Furthermore vitality Advance should higher levels from claiming unpredictable self-organization; cognizance Also intending would constitutive from claiming persnickety Furthermore earth integration; familiarity with earth and self is established over keeping in touch with you must be clear in your reasoning What's more feeling; human choices would responsible to coordination for imaginative processes; supposing Also feeling intervene mankind's action; framework connections incorporate acceptance, protection, Also encouraging interdependence; persons Furthermore world bring basic examples Furthermore essential analytics relations; individual What's more surroundings transformations need aid made Previously, mankind's consciousness; coordination about mankind's surroundings implications brings about adaptation; social - encounters inside a particular society will impact how every component of the