Tradition and Innovation in Taiji Philosophy

Abstract

Scholars throughout history have offered differing interpretations of Taiji. We should respect ancient interpretations while continuing to innovate. The relationship between Taiji and the Taiji diagram needs to be redefined. Logically confused, ambiguous, and forced interpretations should be clarified and transformed into explanations that are logically clear, plainly expressed, systematic, and profound. Taiji should also be applied to new fields. Taiji should be defined as evolution in the broad sense, the overall tendency of movement and change in the world, represented by the positive direction of a coordinate axis perpendicular to the plane of yin and yang. Their cyclical interaction can vividly represent feedback, which can unravel the mysteries of life and of human origins and evolution. The Taiji yin–yang diagram can represent the dialectical unity of the objective and subjective worlds. In this sense, the fundamental principle of the world may be said to be Taiji.