What is the relationship between man and nature? How do you understand "harmony between man and nature"?
"Unity of man and nature" is an important concept in the Book of Changes and an important concept in traditional culture. Over the years, academic circles have talked a lot about it, and to a certain extent, it has been regarded as a core concept of Yi Xue and even the entire traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, clarifying the original meaning of this concept is of irreplaceable importance for the study of Yi studies and traditional culture studies.
However, to clarify the meaning of this concept, we cannot rely on our contemporary scholars’ literal understanding of it, but should turn to the ancients’ own remarks. Let’s take a look at what this concept meant in the ancient people’s minds. To understand the meaning of "the unity of nature and man", the key is to understand the meaning of "heaven" in "the unity of nature and man".
I found more than 200 pieces of material from the "Sikuquanshu" that clearly stated "the unity of nature and man". It is found that "Heaven" in "Unity of Man and Nature" contains the following contents: 1. Heaven is an existence that can have a reciprocal relationship with people; 2. Heaven is an existence that bestows good, bad, misfortune and blessings on people; 3. Heaven is an existence that people fear, The object of service; 4. Heaven is the existence that dominates people, especially the destiny of dynasties (the heaven of destiny); 5. Heaven is the existence that gives people the nature of benevolence, justice, propriety and wisdom. Today, many people understand "Heaven" as the natural world, and therefore believe that "the unity of nature and man" means "the unity of man and nature", but none of them have been found.
I will publish these materials now. For those who care about this matter to study and discuss. It should be noted that: 1. I have only roughly added some punctuation points to these materials. I have not had time to elaborate on them, and I do not want to elaborate on them. Because the researchers all have a considerable level of ancient Chinese literature, there is no need for me to elaborate; 2. I have omitted some of them. What is omitted are those that are repeated, or those whose views are clear and do not need to be cited again. Fortunately, "Sikuquanshu" is not a hard-to-find book nowadays. If you don't believe in this information, you can check it yourself.
Another thing that needs to be explained is that the earliest use of the concept of "unity of man and nature", the source that can be found now, is Zhang Zai's "Zhengmeng". However, Cheng Yi, who was at the same time as Zhang Zai, did not agree with it. He said: "There is no difference between heaven and man, and there is no need to explain it in words." ("Er Cheng's Suicide Notes? Volume 6") According to my understanding, Zhang's "unity" and Cheng's "unduality" mean that heaven and man are of the same spirit, or the same principle, and that human benevolence, justice, etiquette and wisdom are the same. Nature is given by God. In their writings, this heaven that endows people with good nature is also a heaven that people must respect, a heaven that can resonate with people, and a heaven that can bring good and bad luck to people.
Looking further back, the inventor of this idea can be attributed to Dong Zhongshu. Dong Zhongshu's famous saying is: "Heaven also has emotions of joy and anger, as well as feelings of sadness and joy, which are in harmony with humans. By combining them with analogies, heaven and man are one." ("Spring and Autumn Fanlu? Yin and Yang Yi") According to Dong Zhongshu, heaven is one The heaven that contains joy, anger, sorrow, and joy is, of course, also a heaven that controls the world, can communicate with people, and can bring good, bad, and good fortune to people.
In Dong Zhongshu’s words, the “one” in “Heaven and man are one” means “one type”. Because at the time of Dong Zhongshu, due to new discoveries in natural science, people knew that objects could sense each other without contact. For example, magnets can attract iron, strings can vibrate, and so on. People believe that induction occurs because "qi" mediates them. At the same time, people also discovered that the induction mediated by Qi is conditional. For example, magnets can attract iron, but not copper; the vibration of the strings is also the vibration of Gong string and Gong string, and the vibration of Shang string and Shang string. Just like a cow crows and a cow crows, a horse crows and a horse crows. So we came to the conclusion that only similar things can sense each other. In order to prove that heaven and man can sense things, Dong Zhongshu first needs to prove that heaven and man are the same. This is the realistic background of the unity of nature and man.
Dong Zhongshu’s method of demonstrating that heaven and man are of the same kind is called “Heaven and Man are in harmony with each other.” That is, man is a copy, a “copy” of heaven. For example, the sky is round, so people’s heads are round; the earth is square, so people’s feet are square. Why do people have two eyes? Because there are sun and moon in the sky; why do humans have limbs? Because heaven has four seasons; why do people have joy, anger, sorrow and joy? Because the sky is cloudy and sunny. The sky has three hundred and sixty days, and the human bones have three hundred and sixty joints. And so on. Similar ideas developed into the Song Dynasty, and a clear theory of "the unity of nature and man" emerged. Zhou Dunyi's "Tai Chi Diagram" and Shao Yong's "Xiantian Diagram" are both considered to be masterpieces about the idea of the unity of nature and man. What is also said there is that human nature of benevolence, justice, propriety and wisdom is given by heaven, and the order of the human world is a copy of the order of heaven.
Later, the idea of the unity of nature and man became the basic idea for interpreting the "Book of Changes". In the Yi study, the concept of "the unity of nature and man" became more common; the idea of "the unity of nature and man" also became the basis for interpreting other ancient classics. In the interpretation of other classics, the concept of the unity of nature and man has also increased. Today, the unity of nature and man seems to have become the core of all ancient Chinese thoughts, and has been endowed with unprecedented meanings such as harmony between man and nature, environmental protection, sustainable development, etc. to a considerable extent.
"The Book of Changes" has had various entanglements with natural science in history. It has had entanglements with astronomy, mathematics, and the branch of physics called "Eurythmy," as well as with medicine, biology, and ancient chemistry. However, based on the materials I have seen, most of them deserve criticism. In the official astronomical laws and calendars, you can find many examples of using the so-called "Yi Shu" to cover up the true source of calendar data, and also using the so-called "Yi Li" of Yang Dynasty and Yin Jing to deny the astronomical view of the sun and moon. Examples of observational data. However, we have not seen any use of the "Book of Changes" to promote the birth of certain scientific achievements or promote the development of certain types of science. In the past twenty years, the results of the so-called "Science Yi" research can be said to be "rich and colorful", but this research has not been able to provide even a precise basis to explain the emergence of a certain scientific achievement in ancient China. The birth of a new discipline or branch is the result of the intervention of "The Book of Changes". Perhaps, in the eyes of "Science Yi" researchers, these achievements in ancient China are insignificant. Therefore, what they found in the "Book of Changes", the Hetu, the Luoshu, and the Tai Chi Diagram were all achievements invented by foreigners. Such as binary, such as the theory of relativity, the principle of complementarity, etc. In the view of some "Scientific Yi" researchers, everything that science has discovered has already been found in "The Book of Changes". What science has not discovered yet has already been found in the Zhouyi, just waiting for us to discover it. Therefore, some people claim that relying on the "Book of Changes" will help China dominate the world; relying on the "Book of Changes" will make the 21st century China's century.
One of the results of the "Science of Changes" research is that the fortune-telling in "The Book of Changes" has also become a science: prediction. As a result, fortune-telling openly entered the halls of science. Shao Weihua, the so-called "master of Yi studies" who spread rumors that "the Party Central Committee affirmed him", was actually just a fortune teller. His masterpiece is called "The Book of Changes and Forecasting". It can be said that the research on "Science Yi" has had little effect on the development of science, but it has provided theoretical support and academic protection for fortune telling.
Among the researchers of "Science Yi", some people believe that earthquakes can be predicted by using "Book of Changes". More than ten years have passed, but no progress has been made in their research? Some "scientific Yi" researchers claim that Chinese medicine practitioners must understand "The Book of Changes". More than ten years have passed, and I wonder if any Chinese medicine practitioners have achieved new achievements with the help of "The Book of Changes". I don’t understand seismology, and I’m not a Chinese medicine practitioner. But I know a little bit about "The Book of Changes", I know that "The Book of Changes" does not have such a function, and I am convinced that such so-called research will have no practical effect.
Before 1999, the research on "Zhouyi Fever" and "Science Yi" was synchronized with the development of pseudo-qigong and special function fever. Some supernormal or pseudo-qigong masters have called themselves or been called Yi Xue masters. Some so-called Yi Xue masters also claim to be or are called supernormal powers or Qigong masters. These are all known facts.
In this historical context, Professor Yang Zhenning spoke. He said, no, that's not the case. The "Book of Changes" does not contain the scientific achievements that people call it, and the "Book of Changes" is not a driving force to promote scientific development, and even plays a hindering role. This is undoubtedly earth-shattering for people who have long been addicted to the "Zhouyi" craze" and "Science Yi" atmosphere. The result was swift and fierce opposition. Some people even said disdainfully that Professor Yang lacked basic common sense in Yi studies. Professor Yang is a physicist and it is very possible that he lacks the common sense of Yi Xue. However, many people who claim to be experts in Yi studies talk about the unity of nature and man almost every year, every month, and every day. However, it is doubtful whether they have understood what the unity of nature and man means. Therefore, they not only lack common knowledge of Yi studies, but also lack Professor Yang's clear awareness of the relationship between science and "The Book of Changes", and lack a scholar's sincerity in dealing with scientific issues.
Whether "The Book of Changes" promoted or hindered the development of ancient Chinese science is a debatable issue. However, Professor Yang's speech is undoubtedly a deafening voice for the "Zhouyi" craze in the past two decades.
He prompted more people to think and reflect: What is the relationship between "The Book of Changes" and science? What is the status of "The Book of Changes" in traditional culture? What does the unity of nature and man mean, and what is its position in traditional culture? Furthermore, how should we treat "The Book of Changes" and our traditional culture.