Author finds balance in depths of yinyang
Author Robin R. Wang, Ph.D., discussed the origin and depth of the yingyang at a University of Scranton lecture held in March to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Dr. Wang based the lecture on her book “Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture,” which aims to broaden the simplified view of the yinyang by addressing its pivotal role and application in Chinese culture.
Referring to an early text “Yan Tie Lun (Discourses on Salt and Iron),” Dr. Wang explained the Chinese focus of managing an appropriate relationship between the yin and the yang.
“You have heaven. You have earth, and the human is in between. You need to get these three in line,” Dr. Wang said.
“Yinyang is this idea of (this) border. This border can be a power. It’s a force. So in this line – in this blend, yinyang plays an important role in this land, because it’s the engine of this culture.”
Dr. Wang explained that in Chinese philosophy and the religion of Daoism, the yinyang serves as a significant component in human relationships – particularly in gender dynamics. Females, who represent the yin, and males, who represent the yang, are mutually dependent on each other and complete the yinyang to achieve balance.
“The female is a necessary part of the origin of the universe. You cannot be without the female because without the female, you don’t have an interaction,” said Dr. Wang. “The world is not created, but the world is generated. It is generated through male-female interactions. So that is a very important way for Chinese to understand (the yinyang).”
A professor of philosophy and director of Asian Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Dr. Wang published several articles in the areas of Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy and philosophy of women. In addition, Dr. Wang wrote four books, including “Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture,” “Internal Alchemy: Self, Society and the Quest for Immortality,” “Chinese Philosophy in an Era of Globalization,” and “Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture: Writings from the Pre-Qin Period to the Song Dynasty.”
The lecture was hosted by the University’s Asian Studies Program and Jane Kopas Women’s Center and the Taiwan Ministry of Culture. It was sponsored by Dr. Samuel Yin and the Spotlight Taiwan Project Grant.
Sarah Beckley, Moscow, is a communication major with a minor in business at The University of Scranton.
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