Abstract

Traditional astronomy in East Asia developed very differently from that of the Western world, and it was informed by the views of nature inherent to East Asia. This research aims to examine how fundamental forces such as “yin-yang polarity,” a core concept of the East Asian view of nature, were reflected in the traditional astronomy of the region. In East Asia, astronomical works that carefully examined the celestial bodies were considered very important, and an astronomical system that was connected to the “human condition” was established. Analogical reasoning or correlative or “associative” thinking were dominant in the region. This connection with the human condition played an important role in the unique astronomy of East Asia, contrasting the mechanical worldview typical in Eastern Europe.