5 elements questions

tutor

Dear Dr DU
Thank you for your clarifying explanations.Regarding the five elements theory there are a few points that I don't understand:
1.Gases have not been mentioned. We can categorize oxygen as qi,but what about other gases like nitrogen,hydrogen,helium or the deleterious ones like CO, CO2, or ozone? They belong to neither of the five categories.
2. There are still many other elements, like the radioactive elements. How can they be categorized?
3 Chemically speaking elements like sodium and potassium are also metals, but have by no way any chracteristics of for example iron.
On the whole isn't this theory an oversimplification of the nature?

Best regards

tutor

Dear Saho,
Let's discuss your quesions on the five elements.

1). For sure as we know, gases are not included in any of the five element for in ancient time, the founder of the five-element theory didn't take gases as the substance. Let's see the five elements, they are indeed the substantial materials.
In Chinese philosophy, we do have something for the gases, that's Qi, it is referred to all the gases, visible or invisible. Of course that's not a concept in five-element theory.

2). Don't you think the ancient Chinese could be so smart to know there are the radioactive elements?
They might just take them as earth or metal. What do you think about it?

3). It is apparent the metals referred in the five-element theory are the real metals, iron, copper, zinc, gold, silver ect.
I don't think the ancient Chinese found the sodium and potassium as metal, but they did think the metal generate water. So, maybe they thought something in water which are more or less similar to metal.

But however ancient theory is an ancient theory, and indeed it's only a philosophical theory, not really a theory of science.

Don't you think the ancient Greek or Egiptian or Babiron or Indian philosophy would also take everything in their theories and made very reasonable explanation in all the aspects?

In ancient China, there were different philosophical ideas, Yin-Yang and five-element theories are only part of them, but they are quite useful in deducting and reasoning the traditional Chinese medicine. I don't think they are perfect, but they are useful.

However, five-element theory is the one talking about the substance or material, so I do understand what you mean by your questions.
You might say it's the simplification of the nature, but I would say it's the generalization instead.

What's your opinion?

Tutor