PureInsight | March 8, 2004
[PureInsight.org] Many recent astronomical observatories indicate that the universe in which we live is experiencing unprecedented, immense changes. Many of the latest scientific discoveries, including the findings about dark energy, phenomena where matter travels faster than the speed of light, the accelerated expansion of the universe, the evidence supporting the existence of the soul from research in the life sciences arena, and the impact of one's mind on the body, pose immense challenges to the very core of modern science. Also, humankind is facing unprecedented challenges and has begun to take a fresh look at the ecological, physical and spiritual environments that its existence depends on. For the last several hundred years, science has taken over the physical aspects of the lives of human beings. But it is totally unable to direct human beings' spiritual quest. As we try to trace the root cause of all the problems that humankind now faces, we are slowly realizing that we now live in an era when the secrets behind all kinds of unsolved mysteries are beginning to be revealed.
Modern scholars of science have begun to realize that in order to break through the perplexing state that modern science is in, they must first re-establish the connection between science and the spiritual aspects of matter. The word "re-establish" is used here because traditional Chinese culture emphasized the importance of the spiritual aspects of matter. For example, ancient Chinese medicine taught not only the medical skills for treating illnesses, it also included a complete system of illness prevention that taught people that they could maintain a healthy body by finding spiritual tranquility, reducing their human desires or attachments, and cultivating their minds and moral characters. In other words, traditional Chinese medicine incorporates many treasures of traditional Chinese culture, including the Theory of Ying and Yang, the Theory of the Five Elements, and the Book of Changes, and emphasizes the close, interconnected relationship between one's moral cultivation (the spiritual element) and health (the physical element). On the other hand, contemporary science overlooks or even turns a blind eye to this area.
Based on this rationale, we decided to host a Future Science and Culture Forum at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan with the theme of "Building a Bridge that Connects Culture, Matter and Mind." The Forum will cover topics such as traditional Chinese medicine and culture, spirit and science, the universe, and time and space, among others. It will focus on the exceptional dual emphasis that the traditional Chinese culture places on mind and matter. Discussions will be held on the understandings that traditional Chinese culture has on the mysteries of the human body, the latest scientific findings in the areas of spiritual cultivation and the eternal existence of the soul, and how the ancient Chinese theory of "heaven and the people are one" provides inspiration for future developments in the fields of astronomy, geology, and ecology. We welcome papers from scholars and experts who want to make contributions to the development of future human science and culture.
For details and the latest information about the meeting, please visit the official web site of the Future Science and Culture Conference at http://big5.zhengjian.org/fsc/
The Preparation Committee of the Future Science and Culture Forum in Taiwan
February 17, 2004
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Regarding Article Submissions:
1. The Forum will use Chinese as the primary language and English as the secondary language in the conference. A Chinese translation should be submitted for papers written in English.
2. Please submit an abstract by March 15, 2004. Each abstract should contain no more than 500 Chinese characters. If the Preparation Committee approves an abstract, it will add the presentation of the paper to the schedule of the Forum, and the author will receive a notice via email.
3. Each author must supply the following information along with the abstract:
a. The author's full name, work organization, and job title.
b. The author's contact information, including telephone number, email, and mailing address.
c. The purpose, methodology, observed or anticipated results, and conclusions to be drawn from your research
4. If the Preparation Committee approves your abstract, you will need to email the complete paper no later than May 1, 2004 to the following email address: fsc@zhengjian.org
5. Please submit your abstract to either of the following addresses:
a. Email: fsc@zhengjian.org
b. Fax: 1-208-248-4613 (United States)
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/2/17/25872.html
