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From: genji@ucbopal.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Asian History
Message-ID: <120@ucbopal.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 5-Dec-83 07:38:51 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbopal.120
Posted: Mon Dec  5 07:38:51 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 8-Dec-83 20:48:41 EST
References: <294@ihuxj.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 30

<<  From: amra@ihuxj.UUCP
<<  Posted: Sat Nov 26 05:52:43 1983
<<  I never had much Asian history either. I guess 5000 years of civilization
<<  and cultural development don't count for much. Most Westerners seem to
<<  ignore the numerous contributions this area has made to humanity.
<<                        Steve Aldrich (ihuxj!amra)

Agreed. Much of modern significance is overlooked when Asian culture
and history are neglected.  There have been improvements in recent
years, especially since the beginnings of the USA+China anti-USSR
alliance, but ignorance is still our mode at every level of education.
Two examples of ancient Chinese philosophy's relevance in our era:

1. "The Art of War" (Ping Fa), a brief statement of strategy written
around 500 B.C.E., was the basis of military principles of the Chinese
revolution led by Mao Tse-Tung and company.  (The other side considered
the book outdated.)  This book (hardly known by non-Asians) is valuable
for its succinct statement of strategy, as well as the recognition of
the importance of politics in war making (for example, warning that no
country wins a protracted war and that such wars breed domestic
revolts).  It also indicates how combined (Chinese +European-American)
was the philosophic basis of the Chinese revolution.

2. Ancient Chinese physical theory (5 elements, yin-yang, chi, etc.) is
seldom taken seriously but deserves to be taught at least in history of
science.  These concepts become practical in pre-acupuncture diagnosis
(interplay of several elementary energy streams is considered in
prescribing treatment).  The obvious parallel in western medicine to
yin-yang is the potassium-sodium relationship (in nervous transmission,
etc.).		--Genji