By Simon Kim, Professor, South Baylo University
For the past five months, I have been working on theorizing the philosophical foundation of Eastern Organic Medicine in the English-speaking community of Asian Medicine through series of articles. So, I tried to reconceptualize the concept of qi and redefine the reciprocity of YY (Yin Yang) logic to explain Jingqi world. The organic interrelations of WX (Wuxing) was also introduced in the name of the penta-principle of MG (mutual generation; 相生) and MC (mutual controlling; 相剋).
In this issue, I am going to give you little bit more clear explanation of the concept of organism. Why do I claim to advocate the Eastern Organic Medicine as the authentic naming for the so-called Asian medicine? The contrast between Western medicine and Asian medicine is eventually reduced to the concept of matter and Jingqi. No one in Western medicine community recognizes the reality of Qi. The world view based on two realities is so different that it does not allow coexistence.
What is different? It is a completely different perspective on the nature of human experience. It is a contrast between the thought of the causality/ reductionism and the relational thinking of the organism. There is a reason for the reductionism in physics. By appealing the primary nature, they can secure the law of causality interpreting the nature only through the lenses of world of quantity. The secondary nature such as sense and quality is thoroughly ruled out. Even though it is not easy to understand, the Qi philosophy (新儒學 Neo-Confucianism) which is represented by Chu Xi, and the philosophy of organism theorized by Alfred Whitehead should be emerged. (→ Continue to next edition)
