Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 156
CONFUCIANISM a science and discipline in Chinese life pertaining to all fields of human interest. It is said that in China this philosophy played a vital role in the development of agriculture, industry, medicine, economy, politics and many other fields of knowledge. One Chinese scholar, Chou Chih. Hua, writes in his book Acupuncture and Science', that the theory of eight trigrams has the same relationship with. Chinese medicine as mathematics has with European science. According to the book History of Medicine of. China², Fu Hsi, the prophet who formulated the theory of the eight trigrams through revelation, also discovered the science of medicine and acupuncture. However, some believe that this knowledge was developed in a later period by the sage King Huang Ti, who in turn had derived his knowledge from the I Ching. . Master Sun's Art of War, which also uses the I Ching, is famous in the military world. Military people throughout the ages have given importance to this book, which has been translated into six different languages. Chinese logicians and the various ancient classical schools of thought also based their theories on the principles outlined in the Book of Changes. To a minor degree the Book of. Changes has also influenced the Western world, where the I. Ching has gained in popularity, although some use it only as a kind of oracle for fortune telling. . According to Confucianism, formal academic study is not essential for the attainment of truth. God Himself is. Truth, so whatever He creates He blesses it with this same quality central to His own identity. Thus human nature and eternal truth have become synonymous in Confucianism. . Mencius (372-289 BC) was a Chinese philosopher, theorist and educationalist. He was also a very religious man and a prominent personality among the followers of. Confucius. He left a great impression on Chinese 156