First Russian Philosophical Congress: Human Being – Philosophy – Humanism.

Saint-Petersburg (Russia), 1997.

Volume VII: Philosophy and Human Problem.

Presentation: Is Shan Hai Jing The Original Catalog Of Psychophysiological Human Structure?

Vladimir Fedoruk and Andrey Davydov

Edited by Corr. of RAO L. Verbitskaya & Assoc. Prof. B. Sokolova.

Translated by Kate Bazilevsky.

1. Problems with identifying the structure of unconscious still exist. This can be called attempts to identify the foundation on the basis of consequence, i.e. to clarify the essence of the issue on the basis of facts that already occurred. Often due to lack of clear objective criteria, experts in the field of psychology cannot clearly describe human psyche and its manifestations in a particular situation. The main subject of psychology is a human, who is being observed and experimented on, and he is the main value rather than the derived or expected result.

2. Turning to the problem of identifying human psychophysical structure, we were prompted to study the ancient Chinese work titled Shan Hai Jing (SHJ), and in particular its first part Shan Jing (SJ), contents of which bring scientists to an impasse and so they attributed it to myths. Meanwhile, it appears that SJ and partially I Ching are perfectly suitable for identifying human psychophysical structure and contain quite complex technology of defining it. The difficulty is in that knowledge that lies in various scientific fields—such as biology, mineralogy, medicine, geography, etc.—is required in order to process the information. Already based on its title, the ancient book SHJ is a geographical catalog. Therefore, it is logical to begin with consideration of this topic. It is claimed that every biocoenosis is connected to a region that it occupies. Geographers have established concepts: a mainland, an island, a flatland, etc. All of them have naturally defined boundaries. Then, there are smaller magnitudes: small rivers, small hills. They are also natural boundaries of natural holding capacities. Each of these holding capacities has its own environment and inhabitants, including humans. It is a particular geographical nesting doll. This scheme is used in SHJ as well. Fantastic creatures inhabit “holding capacities” that are described in the catalog. Ancient Chinese dictionaries provide explanations for them, but synonymous, by which they are revealed, are often unclear. All of the mythical representatives of flora and fauna live and “brew” in these “holding capacities,” as in a pot. There is a lot suggested to eat or try for the purpose of treatment, as well as for nutritional or prophylactic purposes. Each of the ingredients separately has its own taste, its own composition. However, once they are in the “brew,” they mutually soak in taste, smell. A simplest excursus allows to suggest that people, who are born within certain geographical boundaries, as in “holding capacities-pots,” where they are one of ingredients—”soak in” the given ecological system.

Form as a whole, as well as separate parts of a human are “conductors” of his psyche, which in time acquire characteristics that correspond to psychical analogues. The latter are a set of various forms that exist in the natural environment. This set is determined by way of identification of the form as a whole, as well as separate parts of a human with forms of life on earth or with separate forms of life selected by likeness. Human psyche as a whole is like a peculiar conglomerate, which consists of separate likened forms and has the same diapason of activity as a natural analogue or part of an analogue. Uncovered diapason must be corrected. Correctors are a geographical region and a number of other parameters.

3. The main reference points in SJ are mountains. They have specific names and are positioned, oriented towards each other. Each mountain has its own microworld with universal and peculiar magnitudes, while remaining the main magnitude in the environment that it constitutes. All magnitudes are etalons of measuring a species. “Mountains” are stability of existence and a worthy magnitude of form by its significance in the geographical sense, which is difficult to substitute with something more grandiose. As for religious, mythological interpretations of the image “mountain”—here it is possible to find enough interpretations, which allow to put an equal sign between the words “mountain” and “species.” In this case, “species” or “mountain” is a psychical biotype.

Flora described in SJ has the same direction, but only in the form of a cipher of functionality, which needs to be translated into inherent abilities of species that is indicated by a mountain in SJ. Each plant can exist in certain specific conditions. With their help it is possible to decrypt and get an understanding of aspirations, intellectual constructions of a human. If there is no possibility to identify the flora, then functionality is identified through the original form, structure, color, myth, taking into account national particularities. Those parameters of species, by which it will consistently function are identified through form.

Rivers are a required attribute of SJ. The mythological interpretation allows to determine the purpose of the image river, its functional particularities. Combining natural parameters with functionality of an image through the prism of a myth, depending on nationality, provides character of life of a species’ representative.

A variety of minerals and metals are mentioned in SJ. It is possible to draw a conclusion about the diapason of functions by researching the diapason of properties of a mineral. Each mineral has its own individual characteristics, taking into account time, temperature, etc. Location of a mineral in SJ determines spiritual functions of a human, possibilities in time and space. The same can be stated about the fauna described in SJ.

4. By way of selection by likeness, which was already mentioned, it is possible to identify to which specific segment of a specific animal a certain segment of the human body corresponds. Comparing must be done according to configuration (contour) on the same scale and angle. Using such method and basing on practice described in I Ching, where each line of the hexagram correlates a segment of the human body and an animal, and the result is the exact structure of psyche (unconscious) of any person under review with the same diapason of activities as that of an animal. The next stage is collation of the derived structure with a description in SJ. Knowing the date of birth and using the eastern lunar calendar, it is possible to find the section SJ, to which a person under review pertains. Using the technology described above, it will be possible to determine exactly what the boundaries of psychophysical abilities of a person under review are, while applying certain correctors.

5. One of them is the geographical location of birth and period of residence there until puberty. Geographical space is naturally divided into regions with an areal of inhabitation by various biological types. To a large extent, habitat conditions determine the phenotype of the species, and a human is not an exception. Having grown up in a particular ecosystem, he carries all changes of this system.

6. Another corrector is mythopoetic structure of nationality, to which a person under review belongs. Thus, SHJ (and, in particular, SJ) can be considered as the catalog of psychophysical structure of both an individual and certain ethnos.

References

Davydov, A., & corr. of ITAR-TASS Fedoruk, V. (1998). Corr. of RAO L. Verbitskaya & Assoc. Prof. B. Sokolova (Eds.), Pervyy Rossiyskiy Filosofskiy Kongress: Chelovek – Filosofiya – Gumanizm [First Russian Philosophical Congress. Human Being – Philosophy – Humanism]: Vol. 7 Philosophy and Human Problem: Is Shan Hai Jing The Original Catalog Of Psychophysiological Human Structure? St. Petersburg: Saint Petersburg State University Publishing House, 7, 355-357. ISBN 9785288018947. Paper presented at the First Russian Philosophical Congress: Human Being – Philosophy – Humanism (in Russian), St. Petersburg. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=US_jAAAAMAAJ. [Available at: University of Michigan http://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu/Record/003947324 B4231.R6751997 (subscription required), St. Petersburg’s Central City Public Library Named After V. V. Mayakovsky http://www.pl.spb.ru/structure/zali/ ББК87Ч-391 (subscription required), and multiple other libraries http://www.worldcat.org/title/chelovek-filosofiia-gumanizm-pervyi-rossiiskii-filosofskii-kongress/].

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