Resonance Between Man and Heaven

This chapter examines the concept of “sympathetic resonance” between man and heaven, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese philosophy. Contrasting Western anthropological theories (Frazer’s sympathetic magic, Durkheim’s classification, Lévy-Bruhl’s participation) with classical Chinese texts, it argues that this resonance is not a primitive error but a foundational worldview. For ancient Chinese sages, heaven and humanity formed an interconnected whole where natural phenomena (disasters/marvels) were direct, meaningful responses to human virtue or misrule. This belief was a crucial political mechanism, used to legitimize authority, warn rulers, and maintain cosmic and social harmony through ritual, propriety, and moral cultivation.