An Investigation on Chinese Integral Thinking

【Abstract】As a kind of thinking mechanism that grasps motion， change and development of objects on the whole， integral thinking has widely divergent content in development of human history and in practice of the times. Thus， it is necessary to study integral thinking using examples and comparisons. In an investigation on Chinese integral thinking， it turns out that Chinese people believe in the saying that “Man is an integral part of nature”. It is indeed one of the typical features of Chinese integral thinking. This feature is not absolutely beneficial， but it is just this feature that makes Chinese people have created a lot of miracles no matter in history or in the world.

【Key words】Chinese integral thinking； medical science； economy； typical feature

【作者簡介】许菁（1997-），女，首都师范大学，本科生在读，研究方向：电子商务。

In the ancient times， both China and the western world had extremely abundant integral thinking content， but their explanations on integral thinking were totally different. Integral thinking refers to the thinking mechanism that grasps motion， change and development of objects on the whole （Wang Jian， 2013）. The Chinese ancient integral thinking was established on the basis of the concept of “theory that man is an integral part of nature”， which emphasized “observing objects and obtaining their relevant images by reasoning” and what it focused on were the integrity， structure， relation and function of objects instead of the internal constituent of objects. Therefore， it usually adopted the research method that emphasized synthesis but ignored analysis. （Wang Jian， 2013） By contrast， the integral thinking of “unity from diversity” in the ancient Greece was aimed to “pursue one from multiple objects”， that is， to pursue the common feature of objects from various phenomena. What it emphasized was internal composition of objects. Thus， the ancient Greek attached excessive importance to study on the entity， while they made light of study on the relationship between different objects and between all internal constituent parts. Examples can be easily found， when facing problem and finding solution， Western culture pays attention to analysis. But in Chinese culture， it usually from the perspective of the integral to grasp and the general relationship of things to analyze its inherent laws. （Zhang Long Xing， 2005） When reading Chinese medical science， traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes macroscopic integral. Seeing thoroughly from the philosophical system of Chinese and Western Medicine， we will find one most important word： integral. If you are ill， it may be caused by many problems. Chinese medicine pays attention to syndrome differentiation and treatment and has formed a set of medical theory for a long time. The medicine used is not only a mixture of natural herbs， but also used in combination. Western medicine， on the other hand， is often used to treat where the pain is and pay attention to the rest of them. In addition， Western doctors often give a lot of lists to test， each part of the study is clear， but in the overall is lack of. However， Chinese medicine is a holistic view of life， when treat liver disease， it will not just focus on the liver， but consider the impact of other organs. Although it may take a long time to recover， it will eventually eliminate the root and cure your illness. Therefore， Chinese medicine has created many miracles in the world from earliest times to the present day.

The argument of “planned economy” and “market economy” can also prove this point. The characteristic of Chinese economy is： planned economy and market economy are very strong！ This is really a return to the whole idea. Therefore， the Chinese totalism believes that the collective and the individual are one and mutually dependent and transformed. Western collectivism believes that the collective and the individual are separate and contradictory first. China is arguably the most successful in moving from a planned economy to a market.（Mao Yu Shi， 2014）

The spirit of Chinese people growing up and thinking integrally has become a kind of gene which we seemingly never realize of having for all of us Chinese. Therefore， it is easier to discover that the integral thinking of the Chinese is the reason for our nation to become more powerful and necessary in the word just as our ancestors did. To conclude， all the explanation， examples and comparisons above tell us the traditional Chinese integral thinking can be greatly positive and outstanding from the global perspective.

References：

[1]Wang，J.Explanation of integral thinking from the contemporary perspective of system[J].Canadian Social Science，2013，9（3）：51-56.

[2]Zhang， L. X. Ten views on the study of Chinese and western culture[M].Shanghai： Fudan University Press，2005.

[3]Mao，Y.S.China is arguably the most successful in moving from a planned economy to a market[OL].http：//business.sohu.com/20140612/n400739724.shtml，2014，06，12.