(Translated from here.)
I often had the question of why Chinese fate prediction stopped at the level of hours but not extending its coverage to minute or seconds? Why the logic which the fate prediction using birth time base on doesn't apply to minute or seconds? What scared status does these unit of time held? Since one criteria of validity of fate prediction would be differentiating different fate pattern of people born at different time, but it is simply illogical when that implies those who born at the same hour and same place share the same fate.
First that is due to the technological limit of time measurement at that time. Second is because Chinese had the idea of five elements from the year of birth, month of birth, day of birth and (double) hours which determine the destinate of individual which give us eight units. In according to 5 elements theory, one's life would be in perfect balance if an individual is birth at a time which 5 elements is distributed evenly among his/her year/month/day/hour. Since 8 is indivisible by 5, therefore the philosophical implication is that nobody born with a perfect life. Just like Freud assert that the ongoing conflict between ego, superego and id is what drive the personality development; Chinese also assume that there are inherent imbalance within each of us, and it is the imbalance/imperfectness drive the development of each person. Imbalance is what give birth to human psyche and society!
2009年7月11日 星期六
The problem in the theoretical framework of Five-Elements hypothsis in Chinese culture
(Translated from here.)
1. How do we define an object as belonging to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? What attributes do we take from an object as a defining attribute? For instance, computer is made of metal but require electricity to operate(Fire), yet the software and programs it run is base on Mathematics(wood) while it also posses structure(soil) and in state of constant change(water). Do we use an object's function, structure, mode of operation, what it made of or what it require to operate to differentiate the category it belong to in Five-Elements hypothesis? Also, does human body belong to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? How about dynasty, do we simply define by its name?
2. The quantitative issue. What is heavy and what is weak and how do we differentiate it? Heavy Fire could vaporize a small pond of water, Great amount of soil could put out a small fire, small amount of soil can't protect from great flood, small amount of soil can actually aid Great Fire because it prevent it from exhaust itself too readily, small metal knife can't chopped down a large tree... etc.
3. Too big a room for interpretation. Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood all are related to each other one way or another, there never exists two elements that bear no relationship. For instance, Metal bear
Water while melted by Fire, Metal come from Soil as mineral, Metal could chop Wood. What happen then when Metal encounter Wood? How do we know which is the most accurate interpretation?
4. Some attributes of Five elements appear to be self-contradictory. For instance, Water is known to be conservative, flow downward as stabilizer in cement, while Water is also associated with fluid and flexibility, so which is which? Fire is known to be expanding, growing upward, creative; yet it is also associated with stubbornness and arrogance. again which is which?
Unless all those questions are sorted out, otherwise we can't expect Five-Elements hypothesis to offer much value to humanity or Chinese culture.
1. How do we define an object as belonging to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? What attributes do we take from an object as a defining attribute? For instance, computer is made of metal but require electricity to operate(Fire), yet the software and programs it run is base on Mathematics(wood) while it also posses structure(soil) and in state of constant change(water). Do we use an object's function, structure, mode of operation, what it made of or what it require to operate to differentiate the category it belong to in Five-Elements hypothesis? Also, does human body belong to Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood? How about dynasty, do we simply define by its name?
2. The quantitative issue. What is heavy and what is weak and how do we differentiate it? Heavy Fire could vaporize a small pond of water, Great amount of soil could put out a small fire, small amount of soil can't protect from great flood, small amount of soil can actually aid Great Fire because it prevent it from exhaust itself too readily, small metal knife can't chopped down a large tree... etc.
3. Too big a room for interpretation. Metal, Water,Soil, Fire or Wood all are related to each other one way or another, there never exists two elements that bear no relationship. For instance, Metal bear
Water while melted by Fire, Metal come from Soil as mineral, Metal could chop Wood. What happen then when Metal encounter Wood? How do we know which is the most accurate interpretation?
4. Some attributes of Five elements appear to be self-contradictory. For instance, Water is known to be conservative, flow downward as stabilizer in cement, while Water is also associated with fluid and flexibility, so which is which? Fire is known to be expanding, growing upward, creative; yet it is also associated with stubbornness and arrogance. again which is which?
Unless all those questions are sorted out, otherwise we can't expect Five-Elements hypothesis to offer much value to humanity or Chinese culture.
2008年5月23日 星期五
為何只有時辰八字?
信風水命理的人一定知什麼是時辰八字,是出生的年、月、日、時的五行屬性,不過細心想一下,其實時辰八字相當粗糙,世界在二小時出的人為數不少,難道他們 的命運都是一樣?比時辰八字好一點的是鐵板神數,由兩小時一單位改為一刻(15分鐘)為一單位,其實仍然是粗糙。即使在古中國的時代,十五分鐘的事已經可 以天翻地覆了。為什麼中國的命理不可以由時推展到分,再由分推展到秒?其實背後的原理一樣,秒不是最精準嗎?為什麼五行的影響只去到時,去不到分秒?是什 麼神秒性質把分秒和時年月日區分開來?
我有以下一個想法,其實中國的命理,可以不單是時辰八字,而是時辰十字,時辰十二字,時鐘有幾精準,命理就可以有幾精準。因此中國文化是故事選擇8,一來 是時間量度工具的問題,另一來是如果由時辰八字改成時辰十字,由於是五行而不是四行、三行、六行、七行,十可以被五整除而沒有餘數,故此理論上可以出現五 行完全平均分配的人。而依五行理論,如此的人有最完美的運程,沒有任何由五行不平衡而引起的內在衝突,結論並不合理。人沒有內在、外在的衝突,不會有成 長、變化和發展,世上無完人,人天生就是要學習如何去平衡自己的五行,用Freud的話,人如果沒有本我、自我及超我不停的衝突及互補,人的心理就不會有 成長,人一生是一個永遠不可能平衡的過程,不平衡才有生命/心理/社會!
我有以下一個想法,其實中國的命理,可以不單是時辰八字,而是時辰十字,時辰十二字,時鐘有幾精準,命理就可以有幾精準。因此中國文化是故事選擇8,一來 是時間量度工具的問題,另一來是如果由時辰八字改成時辰十字,由於是五行而不是四行、三行、六行、七行,十可以被五整除而沒有餘數,故此理論上可以出現五 行完全平均分配的人。而依五行理論,如此的人有最完美的運程,沒有任何由五行不平衡而引起的內在衝突,結論並不合理。人沒有內在、外在的衝突,不會有成 長、變化和發展,世上無完人,人天生就是要學習如何去平衡自己的五行,用Freud的話,人如果沒有本我、自我及超我不停的衝突及互補,人的心理就不會有 成長,人一生是一個永遠不可能平衡的過程,不平衡才有生命/心理/社會!
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