The Roots of Boundary Problems : A Poietic Study in Human Distinctions

在这项研究工作中，我们已经证实，在我们的环境中，人类根据属和种来区分一个事物与另一个事物的本性往往倾向于诱使我们区分对立概念的二分对中的任何一个。因此，例如，琐罗亚斯德教或毕达哥拉斯教的对立表（阿斯特丽德“系统”）是一个典型的例子，区分和歧视每一个经常对比的对立，如光明”和“黑暗”，“直”和“弯曲”，“好”和“坏”，“男人”和“女人”，这种二元论的观念不仅对希腊和犹太的参照系产生了强烈的影响，而且对现代西方的方式也产生了强烈的影响在考察了历史上有影响的二元论之间产生的边界问题之后，我们试图解决或化解“绿色”与“红色”、“理性”与“激情”、“科学”与“非科学”、“正统”与“异教”、“事实”与“价值”、“正常”与“反常”、或民族国家的物理边界。通常边界只是概念上的和虚拟的，而跨越这些边界的人类冲突是真实的和实际的。人类的创造力和灾难都是我们试图穿越它们的结果。但我们需要从人类灾难的历史中吸取教训，并通过放弃可能导致灾难的行为来防止悲惨的后果。

In this research work we have confirmed that the human nature for distinguishing one thing from another in terms of genus and species in our environments often tends to induce us to discriminate either one of the dichotomously divided pairs of opposed concepts. Thus, e.g., the Zoroastrian or Pythagorean table of opposites (Aristotelian "systoichia") is a typical example of distinguishing and discriminating each one often contrasted oppositions like light" and "darkness", "straight" and "crooked", "good" and "bad", "man" and "woman", etc. This type of dualistic conception has exerted a strong influence not only on Greek and Judaic frames of reference but also on modern Western ways of thinking and acting.After examining those boundary problems which arise between historically influential dualisms, we have tried to solve or dissolve the problems of demarcations between "green" and "red", "reason" and "passion", "science" and "non-science", "orthodox" and "heathen", "fact" and "value", "normal" and "abnormal", or physical borderlines of nation states.Usually the boundaries are merely conceptual and virtual, while the human conflicts across these boundaries are real and actual. Both human creativity and disaster result from our trials to go across them. But we need to learn from our history of human disasters and prevent miserable effects by abstaining from our acts that may cause them.