The Existence of Qi/Ki?

[Guest guest]

Here are excerpts from another article which critically examines the idea of

ch'i, ki or qi:

<http://www.csicop.org/sb/2000-03/korea.html>

A Korean Skeptic's Report: New Ager-Occupied Territory

Gun-IL Kang

<A deep attachment to tradition and an aspiration to wealth are cherished

values of the modern South Korean. As the nations of the world become

increasingly interdependent in the emerging information age, the cultural

bonds of tradition can be the foundation of stability and resilience in

aquickly developing nation like Korea. The desire for economic prosperity is

a powerful motive for a massive technological and societal transformation,

and Korea is quickly becoming a fully developed industrial nation despite the

recent economic setbacks.

However, tradition has also been a detriment to Korean skepticism and

scientific literacy. For example, Koreans are born believers in qi

(pronounced " chee " ) the foundation of traditional Asian philosophy and

medicine. In the context of culture and philosophy, belief in qi does not

itself constitute scientific illiteracy. There is however a strong,

uncritical trust in the powers of traditional medicine based on qi, at the

expense of good medical science.....

.....In 1986, a book entitled New Science Movement, dealing with the thoughts

of those who were arbitrarily called " New Age scientists " (including Fritjof

Capra, Bohm, Ilya Prigogine, Sperry, et al.), was published by

the New (Age) Science Study Group. This organization is a group of eleven

prominent scientists and scholars sponsored by the DaeWoo Cultural

Foundation. Although the book generally presented skeptical opinions from a

scientific viewpoint on holistic claims, they made a blunder by christening

New Age claims as the " New Science, " more or less on equal terms with the

achievements of Galileo. From then on, New Science has become accepted

terminology widely applied to all New Age parasciences.

In 1994, New Agers rose to higher prominence when the Korean Society of Mind

(Psychical) Sciences was founded. The founding ceremony opened with a

demonstration of a 14-year-old girl's " eyeless vision, " and a declaration to

investigate similar paranormal phenomena. The society consists of over 800

members: professors, research scientists, students, and others-including 210

PhDs. One of the society's projects was to also study the various types of

folk medicine and phenomena in three " sections " : I Ching in the Traditional

Thoughts Section; qi and spirits in the Bio-Qi Energy Section; and

clairvoyance and telepathy in the Potential Ability Section.7

It is futile to detail the contents of the Society's regular symposia: their

topics are anything but skeptical inquiry. They have been providing TV

stations and newspapers with all sorts of paranormal claims in the name of

the New Science. One such claim is that discrete radiation from an ancestor's

remains, if damaged by water vein radiation, would pursue descendants and

permanently injure them. In spite of this kind of " science, " no one seems to

suspect that the Society's staff, because of their backgrounds, are simply

New Agers worshipping parascience.

A board member of the Society, Gun-Woong Bang published a book entitled New

Science Will Change the World. In this book, he discusses various New Age

topics such as qigong, morphic fields, auras and Kirlian photography,

homeopathy and water-memory, vibrational therapy, cold fusion, perpetual

motion, biological transmutation, Mesmer and subtle energy, teleportation,

etc.

The book has been widely read even by young students, becoming a bestseller.

Bang was asked to give a talk before the National Assembly Members' science

study group. According to the press report, the chairman of the study group

concluded that New Science research should be strongly supported by the

government, since the potential of such research promised to change the world

economic map. Afterwards, they even held public hearings-the step prior to a

government enactment to support New Science research.

The scientists belonging to the Society received a hefty grant from the

government for a feasibility study. They concluded that underlying evidence

of pyramid power, music agriculture, and vibrational therapy are based on

reasonable science, and that they could be the foundation of working

hypotheses for scientific investigation. Apparently they have not referred to

the numerous articles and papers of skeptics on these very subjects....>

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Now, here are excerpts from a book which critically examines qi and

traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):

<http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-09/qigong.html>

Qigong: Chinese Medicine or Pseudoscience?

By Lin Zixin (Editor), Yu Li (Sima Nan), Guo Zhengyi, Shen Zhenyu, Zhang

Honglin, Zhang Tongling.

Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 2000.

Across the globe, qigong (chi-gong) is many things to many people. The

Chinese government has officially recorded over 3,000 different styles of

what has become a form of religion for a nation craving some form of

cultural, philosophical, and national identity. This book is significant

because it is the first critical evaluation of qigong printed in English by

Chinese scientists, who attempt to separate what they euphemistically call

the " real " qigong from the sensationalism that has grown up around the

ancient idea of qi....

The current popular view holds that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a

" natural " alternative to the " harmful side effects " of scientific medicine.

Although the fusion of the two words qi and gong never appeared in print

before the mid-1950s, the recently coined qigong term now appears prominently

in TCM. After initially being attracted to qigong as a way of restoring

health and well being, students may also be drawn toward promises that qigong

can unleash latent psychic ability, claims that the authors firmly reject.

Members of the China Association of Science and Technology (CAST) have

investigated such claims for many years.

Originally published in China for Chinese readers, the book has just recently

been made available in English. More work on the translation and some

professional editing would be welcomed, however. For example, many misleading

statements are made that suggest the authors really believe in qigong

" energy. " They remark about the wonderful cultural treasure that has

benefited all of humanity. Some statements are even made to the effect that

qigong has been proven scientifically!

The translator frequently neglects to indicate that a statement is a claim,

not a fact and it isn't until sometimes several chapters later that we learn

that the statements were only that: unsubstantiated and sometimes bogus

claims. The authors gradually explain that the " experiments " were found to be

seriously flawed and the resulting " proof " invalid. In the end, all that

remains of what they describe as such an important contribution to the world

boils down to nothing more than stretching, relaxation, and faith healing.

This is what they vigilantly refer to as the " real " qigong. There may be

political and cultural reasons for such diplomatic semantics......

Meanwhile, Yu Li (known in China as Sima Nan) has for several years offered a

large cash prize to anyone who can demonstrate " real " qigong without cheating.

Examples of deception by some of the most popular qigong masters (referred to

as qigongists) are examined, including Yan Xin, who now enjoys great

popularity in the US. Yan became a TCM doctor in 1982, but two years later

" his medical license was revoked due to his odd superstitious practices. Then

Yan hunted for work elsewhere and became a quack doctor. " Some of Yan's

high-profile failures are documented, as are those of other " qigong gods. "

The final chapter is a report by Beijing Medical University psychiatrist

Zhang Tongling on the effects of qigong-induced psychosis (zuohuo rumo).

Delusions, hallucinations, and psychosis can result when people (especially

those who are highly susceptible to suggestion) become obsessed with

practicing qigong, a condition frequently encouraged by their masters. She

says that selecting an " improper method " and practicing it for too long can

result in the symptoms that she has specialized in treating for over twenty

years. But what is the " right " method, one might ask? Well, what it finally

comes down to again is just simple, uncomplicated relaxation.

But in China rujing, not qigong, is the term used to describe relaxation

meditation aimed at clearing the mind and thinking of nothing. Though the

authors point out the great difficulties involved in defining qigong, they

state that qigong stresses intense concentration on complex imagery, supplied

from books, audiotapes, or from the master. This is what they say separates

qigong from other activities. Dr. Zhang's recommendations appear to be a

polite way of saying that the only " correct " way to practise qigong is to

choose some other activity (like rujing or tai chi) and call it a form of

qigong.......>

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Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

Supertraining/