Yin-yang mindset could help heal the polarized West
“Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching can guide humanity toward a new planetary culture.”
- William Irwin Thompson
The West often thrives on polarization. Nations are categorized as either democracies or dictatorships, allies or adversaries. Individuals are labeled liberal or conservative, globalist or nationalist, multiculturalist or nativist. The middle ground has become terra incognita, a forgotten and unexplored space.
American social philosopher William Irwin Thompson, in his book “Coming into Being”, proposed a way forward through the ancient Chinese yin-yang system. He argued that this holistic worldview offers a means to transcend the divisive ideologies of modernity and foster a global ethos rooted in balance and reciprocity.
From animism to dualism
China’s yin-yang system has roots in animism. Prehistoric societies shared the animistic belief that everything in nature-trees, rivers, animals, inanimate objects-was interrelated and permeated by spirits. Reality was seen as holistic and indivisible.
As civilizations emerged, holistic animism gave way to dualistic paradigms. The Proto-Indo-Europeans, for instance, developed dichotomies such as chaos and order, light and darkness.
Zoroaster, the founder of the first monotheistic religion, introduced a dualistic cosmology. He described an eternal struggle between Ahura Mazda, the wise lord of light, truth, and order, and Angra Mainyu, the destructive spirit of darkness, deceit, and chaos. This religious framework influenced later monotheistic traditions and reinforced dualistic thinking.
The Chinese, however, took a different path. They envisioned dualism not as oppositional but as complementary. Their yin-yang system emphasized the dynamic interplay of opposites-mutually dependent forces that together form a unified whole. This perspective permeated Chinese cosmology, culture and their understanding of creation.
The Chinese language reflects the deep connections between yin-yang and natural phenomena, particularly magnetism. The character for yin encompasses meanings such as shady, cloudy, moon, and negative (magnetic) charge. The character for yang signifies bright, sunny, mountain and positive charge.
During the Zhou Dynasty, the Chinese discovered magnetic stones, or lodestones, and used them to create the first magnetic compasses. These “south pointers” consisted of a lodestone spoon on a plate marked with the four cardinal directions. This early compass reflects the yin-yang principle: north is yin and south is yang.
The concept of qi (or ch’i) further illustrates this connection. Qi represents the tension and interaction between yin and yang, often translated as “cosmic power,” “vital force,” or “matter-energy.” Influenced by quantum physics, Sinologist Joseph Needham described qi as an interplay of matter and energy.
The Chinese use the radical qi in the compound character for the modern word electricity. The same radical is used in the compound characters for Tai Chi and Qigong. The Eight Trigrams, the basis of the I Ching, also alludes to electromagnetic phenomena.
The trigram Zhen represents lightning and is associated with sudden, dynamic energy. The trigram Li symbolizes fire and brightness and is associated with heat. Li represents the qualities of warmth, illumination, and transformation.
Systematizing the yin and yang
After they determined that the yin-yang polarity is fundamental to the cosmos, the Chinese reasoned that they should apply this principle in the development of their culture. This would ensure that their civilization would be aligned with the Tao, the source of “source” of yin and yang.
Hence the Chinese classified all aspects of existence as yin or yang polarities: Heaven (the sun) and Earth, male and female, growth and decay, high and low, space and time, advancing and retreating, something and nothing, active and receptive, movement and rest.
Moreover, nearly all aspects of Chinese culture were based on the yin-yang principle: architecture, art, philosophy, statecraft, dietary habit and medicine and, most pervasively, its Confucian social structure.
Confucius, who studied the I Ching his entire life, based his social construct on the I Ching. He added the eight family members as attributes to the Eight Trigrams. This “embedded” society in the yin-yang cosmology of the I Ching. His Middle Way became the norm in all aspects of Chinese society, public and private:
Personal life:
Self-Interest (Yin): Prioritizing oneself can harm relationships and social harmony.
Altruism (Yang): Excessive self-sacrifice might lead to neglect of personal needs and burnout.
Middle Way: The Confucian middle path is based on reciprocity (shu), where one seeks mutual benefit and fairness.
Continuity:
Tradition (Yin): Rigid adherence to tradition can hinder progress.
Innovation (Yang): Excessive innovation without respect for tradition might lead to chaos or loss of identity.
Middle Way:Confucius advocates maintaining core ethical values from tradition while being adaptable and open to necessary change.
Governance:
Authority (Yin): Overly strict leadership risks alienation and resentment.
Benevolence (Yang): Overly lenient leadership might lead to disorder or loss of respect.
Middle Way: A leader should exercise a balance of firmness and compassion, ensuring justice while maintaining the trust and welfare of the people.
The Confucian Middle Way is the way of qi, the path between the yin-yang polarities. When the polarities are in balance, society is in equilibrium, and frictional loss will be at a minimum.
Bridging worldviews
In “Coming into Being”, William Irwin Thompson championed the yin-yang worldview, particularly as articulated by Lao Tzu, as a pathway to transcending modern dualism. He saw it as essential for guiding humanity toward a new planetary culture:
- Lao Tzu’s teachings emphasize the unity of opposites (e.g., yin and yang). This is crucial for overcoming the divisive, binary thinking that often characterizes modern politics, economics, and cultural discourse.
- Lao Tzu’s vision of leadership as non-coercive, humble, and in service to the greater good offers a blueprint for governance in a planetary culture based on a decentralized, cooperative global ethos.
- Humanity is on the cusp of a transformative phase in cultural evolution, moving toward a global civilization. The Tao Te Ching offers a spiritual and philosophical framework for navigating this transition.
- A new planetary culture requires integrating the best aspects of Eastern and Western traditions. The Tao Te Ching, with its profound simplicity and universal appeal, could serve as a bridge between these worldviews.
Thompson stressed the need to reconcile opposites in all aspects of life: heart and mind, East and West, spirit and matter, the personal and the social. As both Lao Tzu and Confucius would say:
Don’t be progressive or conservative; be both;
Don’t be materialistic or spiritual; be both;
Don’t be idealistic or realistic; be both.
Originally published at https://asiatimes.com on December 26, 2024.
A long version with the title The “Spirit” of Yin and Yang is available at Integral World:
