Natural philosophy

Author: Xiao Kuntao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This book is a pioneering monograph in China that explores the mysteries of the universe and nature. It systematically discusses the formation and development of the universe and nature: first, it provides a unique theoretical dialectical analysis of the category of matter, then describes the dialectical movement from the natural world to the human world, from the objective to the subjective, at the cosmic, life, and technological levels, and finally logically reaches the threshold of the spiritual world. The book has a rigorous structure and a distinctive style, combining profound contemplation with poetic passion. It is the result of the author's years of reflection and collective research led by his research team.
Postscript: Natural Philosophy (originally titled The Theory of the Universe and Nature) was one of the series of research projects under the National Social Science "Seventh Five-Year Plan." This series included three works: Natural Philosophy, Spiritual Philosophy (originally titled Theory of Ideology), and The History of Scientific Cognition. It was expected to be completed around 1992. I served as the head of the research team. Around 1984, while exploring the scientific system of dialectics of nature, I was influenced by The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel. I realized that dialectics of nature must develop into historical dialectics; otherwise, dialectics of nature could not reach the stage of truth, and historical dialectics would lack a reliable material foundation. This gave rise to the idea of moving from the study of the universe and nature to the study of ideology. At the same time, while teaching the development of Western philosophical thought and the history of scientific exploration, I deeply felt that the history of philosophy was too abstract, while the history of science was too rigid, neither of which could appropriately reflect the truth of the historical development of philosophical thought and science. Therefore, in 1984, I initiated the establishment of the Jiangsu Provincial Association for the Study of the History of Philosophy and Science to conduct research in this field, hoping to find a path that combined the two histories. This gave rise to the concept of the history of scientific cognition. The three works were not arbitrarily compiled together. Natural Philosophy serves as the culmination of Spiritual Philosophy, while Spiritual Philosophy serves as its prerequisite. They form two closely linked circles, embodying the holistic circular movement from the objective to the subjective, from matter to the spiritual. Meanwhile, the history of scientific cognition follows a double helix-like progression, representing the historical development of "primitive synthesis—scientific differentiation—dialectical synthesis" between philosophy and science, ultimately reaching a stage of high-level, integrated truth. We believe this stage is the theoretical content revealed in Natural Philosophy and Spiritual Philosophy. Therefore, the history of scientific cognition serves as the historical argumentation for the two works.
I teach at Southeast University and conduct research at the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences. I hope to involve young and middle-aged teaching and research personnel from these two institutions, so the research team primarily consisted of members from these organizations. The focus was on talent cultivation, with practical training as the main method. The discussions on Natural Philosophy and Spiritual Philosophy were carried out according to this principle. The research and writing of the history of scientific cognition will be considered separately due to its substantial scope.
The discussions on Natural Philosophy and Spiritual Philosophy were coordinated. First, I elaborated on my guiding ideas and structural framework in detail multiple times, then systematically taught The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel for about half a year. The teaching materials were published in 1987 under the title Glimpses of the Spiritual World, serving as a byproduct of the project and also commemorating the 180th anniversary of the publication of Hegel's work. It provided the research team with a basis for understanding my ideas and helped them engage with and eventually transcend Hegel, developing independently in line with the philosophical spirit of Marx and Engels. Learning specialized works and unifying thoughts were essential.
Next came the preparation of materials. The translation and collection of materials for the two books amounted to approximately 3 million words, and summaries of the materials were written, totaling over 200,000 words. Based on this, I drafted an initial outline for the writing, and the research team provided revisions. After considering these suggestions, I wrote a second draft. A three-day meeting was held for serious discussion, and the outline was finalized. The writing was then assigned to team members. The draft of Natural Philosophy was read through by me, with chapter-by-chapter revisions proposed, followed by modifications by the authors and final approval by me. In 1988, I was still living in a sanatorium and worked tirelessly on reviewing, revising, and supplementing the manuscript. Suddenly, I fainted, and doctors insisted on absolute rest, forcing me to pause the work. It was not until the end of the year that the final approval was completed. My principle was to retain as much of the authors' original arguments as possible, making only necessary revisions and additions.
In early 1989, the manuscript was submitted to the publisher, who returned it in April, requesting further revisions. It was not until August that I spent concentrated time revising it again, and it was submitted to the publisher in September. In October, after the publisher's review, two issues were raised: inconsistent writing style and uneven structure, indicating that the book needed significant refinement. I asked what to do, and they suggested I rewrite the entire manuscript myself and decided to publish it as a key work. This was a daunting task, and after much deliberation, I decided to rewrite it. After six months of hard work, the manuscript was finally completed. Although this published manuscript was completed by me individually, it would have been impossible without the initial drafts provided by the authors. Therefore, it remains a product of collective research.
The following participated in the discussions on Natural Philosophy and provided initial drafts: Xiao Kuntao (Chapter 1), Yuan Jinlong (Chapter 2), Wang Bing (Chapter 3), Fang Zaonong (Chapter 4), Xu Qiping (Chapter 5), Wang Zhuojun (Chapters 5 and 6), Xue Xiaodong (Chapter 7), Jin Yihong (Chapter 8), Huang Zhibin (Chapter 9), Lin Xiaoyu (provided partial materials for Chapter 10), Ye Ming (Chapters 11 and 12), and Huang Siquan (provided materials for some chapters).
This series of works was supported by the leadership of Jiangsu People's Publishing House, included in the publishing plan, and published as a key book, with Yu Mengren and others serving as editors. I extend my sincere gratitude.
Xiao Kuntao
May 25, 1990