When

June 10th – 09:30 – 11:00

In this paper we discuss Shen and natural philosophy from five sections.
1. A contrast between the claims of European thinking and classical Chinese thinking
-Ontology: If you are familiar with western philosophy, then you will know clearly that the ontology of Europe stresses unchangeable basis of the changing things. However, for Chinese people, they emphasize unstable, emerging and disappearing phenomena.
-Methodology: the way of Chinese thinking is to govern changes, Qu xiang Bi Lei. In western medicine, the methodology is inducing and deducing.
-Way of thinking: People in the west are accustomed to linear reasoning. The characteristic of Chinese thinking, however, is circularity.
-Theoretical structure: In western science we know rules and laws, western people hold the view of separation of the theory and practice, theory leads practice. Chinese medicine works with pattern recognition and interpretation, unite the theory and practice closely.
-Experience: in the eyes of western people, experience is a passive information reception. However for Chinese people, experience is a way of interaction, is the unification of subject and object.
2. Constructivism vs constructionism —– Western Medicine vs Classical Chinese Medicine
Chinese medicine is constructionism. It emphasizes relations instead of structure. While western medicine is construtivism which lay stress on structure.
3. Chinese naturalism
We must differentiate Chinese naturalism into vital naturalism, initiative naturalism and inclusive naturalism.
4. Shen and nature
In broad sense, Shen refers to outward manifestation of vital movement of people. In narrow sense, it means the spirit, consciousness, thoughts and emotions. There are
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many methods to treat Shen in Chinese medicine. One important method is using one kind of emotion to control another excessive one on the basis of five elements.
The relationship between body and Shen, Jing Qi and Shen try to explain as dialectics in a specific logical way which is widely used in Chinese medicine. Compared with modern philosophy, dialectics in Chinese medicine is a different one, it is dialectics of life. Besides dualistic dialectics, Chinese medicine has multi-dialectics.
5. A structural comparison between Chinese medicine and psychoanalysis
Both Chinese medicine and psychoanalysis have a similar facet:
Psychoanalysis like Chinese medicine can be understood by reasonableness of interacting instead of rationality.
Chinese medicine like psychoanalysis is concentrated on phenomena which are coming and going. The idea of construction and interpretation are important as for psychoanalysis and as for Chinese medicine.