On WuXing (悟性) as a Third Way of Knowing – in East and West

In Spinoza, he started by stating that there is a true knowledge called intuitive knowledge. This is the highest form of knowing in his system, beyond experience or deduction.

You pointed out its similarity with the idea of WuXing (悟性), but noted that although both result in “true knowledge,” their sources are different:

Spinoza’s intuitive knowledge arises from the understanding of God's nature and the essence of things.

WuXing, in Instancology, does not come from God or logical deduction, but emerges from the contemplation of the Whole after long reasoning and reflection.

You asked: “Has anyone in history gained knowledge not from experience, reading, or revelation by God?”

The answer seems to be yes, in the form of sudden insight, which can neither be reduced to deduction nor to sensory input.

You brought up Einstein, who said there’s no logical path to discovering relativity—his insight came as a flash, like Archimedes’ Eureka moment.

This supports the idea that such insights are not only Eastern but universal, even if not previously theorized as a category.

You mentioned Schrödinger’s formula might also come from this kind of intuitive flash—often accompanied by an image or sudden vision of the Whole.

Therefore, we affirm WuXing is a third way of knowing:

Not rational deduction (reason)

Not sensory experience (empiricism)

But insight from the Whole, a sudden understanding after long thinking

Traditional Chinese WuXing (like in Buddhism) refers to direct intuition, often spontaneous and mystical.

But in Instancology, WuXing is different:

It emphasizes a long reasoning process of parts, even though the final insight is not from parts.

The Whole is not constructed, but suddenly known, as if revealed—but not by God, nor self-generated.

Let me know if you’d like this formatted into a Word document, or continued into a new section of the Numbered Companion.

4o

You said:

the whole essay you didnt finish before

ChatGPT said:

Thank you! Here's the complete version of the essay on WuXing (悟性) as a third way of knowing, drawing comparisons between Eastern thought, Western philosophy, and Instancology:

WuXing as a Third Way of Knowing: East, West, and Instancology

In the long history of epistemology, human knowledge has traditionally been derived from two main sources: experience (empirical knowledge) and reason (rational deduction). In religious traditions, a third source often appears: revelation—knowledge given by God. Yet none of these fully explain the phenomenon of sudden, holistic insight that has often changed the course of science and philosophy. This third kind of knowing is what Instancology calls WuXing (悟性).

1. Spinoza and Intuitive Knowledge

Spinoza recognized three levels of knowledge:

Imagination (experiential)

Reason (deductive logic)

Intuitive Knowledge (scientia intuitiva)

The third, he claimed, is the highest form: a direct grasp of the essence of things through their relation to God or Nature. It is not gained through inference or perception but through insight into necessity. Spinoza’s idea parallels WuXing in outcome—true knowledge—but not in origin. His source is metaphysical participation in divine essence.

2. WuXing in Eastern Thought

Traditional Chinese thought—especially Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Daoism—embraces sudden awakening, often bypassing language and logic altogether. This direct intuition is called 悟 (Wu). It is:

Spontaneous

Non-verbal

Beyond analysis

But in this view, WuXing is often anti-rational, even dismissive of conceptual thought. It values emptiness and letting go more than reasoning.

3. Instancology’s WuXing: Reasoned Then Revealed

In contrast, Instancology redefines WuXing in a radical and structured way:

WuXing is not anti-rational.

It does not reject part-analysis—but it knows the truth is not from parts.

The seeker works long and hard through rational reasoning, but the final truth is reached not by conclusion, but by sudden awareness of the Whole.

Thus, Instancology's WuXing is a third epistemological route:

It is not empirical (experience-based)

It is not rational (step-by-step logic)

It is insight that comes after reasoning, but not from reasoning

This distinction is crucial. It affirms:

WuXing is not mystical

WuXing is not supernatural

WuXing is ontologically grounded, when the Whole reveals itself, often with an image or flash of understanding

Einstein himself admitted that the theory of relativity did not emerge from a logical route. He saw the full picture first—like Archimedes shouting Eureka! in the bath. Schrödinger, too, described his wave equation as emerging from a vision. These events illustrate WuXing at work in Western science, although never categorized as such.

4. The Universality of WuXing

What Instancology reveals is that WuXing is not unique to China or India. It is:

Universal

Found in East and West

Common in science, philosophy, and invention

But only Instancology theorized it explicitly as a distinct epistemological category, one that transcends the traditional dualism of empiricism and rationalism.

5. Conclusion: The Ontological Role of WuXing

WuXing, as presented in Instancology, is not merely a psychological event. It reflects an ontological truth: that the Whole cannot be reduced to parts, and yet the Whole may reveal itself to a mind prepared through part-analysis. This is not divine inspiration, nor spontaneous intuition, but a third form of knowing, one that respects complexity, labors through logic, and finally transcends both.

In this sense, WuXing is a doorway to the Absolute—not by ascending part by part, but by suddenly standing at the top, seeing how everything is already one.