How Could The Metaphysics Of Yi-Tao(易道) Be Possible?

Different from traditional textual research, this thesis investigates the thoughts of I-Ching which is the origin of Chinese philosophy and culture, and one of the most important classics in the history of Chinese philosophy, oriented to the reconstruction of value system in New Axial period, mainly on the theoretical question "How can the metaphysics of Yi-Tao be possible".Given the similarity and relation between the question "How can the metaphysics of Yi-Tao be possible?" and the question "How can scientific metaphysics be possible?" which is the core question of Critique of Pure Reason, this thesis will stretch out with the comparison and dialog between the thoughts of I-Ching and Kant’s philosophy. Kant laid the foundation for scientific metaphysics by the way of critique of pure reason. This thesis will seek the cause or basis of the metaphysics of Yi-Tao by investigating special ideas of I-Ching.This thesis can be divided into six parts as following.The first part refers to the evolution of structure and character of I-Ching, and the relation between the evolution and Chinese Axial Period. The conclusion includes two points:the evolution lasted for eight hundred years from Shang and Zhou Dynasties to early Han, which is corresponding to the Chinese Axial Period; since I-Ching was used for the divination the prediction of good or ill luck, the investigation of I-Ching may stretch out from the view of divination.The second part discloses the rational elements of the divination by I-Ching by the comparison between the divination by milfoil and tortoise shell. The rational elements reveal the prediction of good or ill luck by the numeral divination which originated from the thought of viewing astronomical phenomena with numeral.The third part discloses the double features of abstractness and concreteness by analyzing the historical origin and the metaphysical foundation of divinatory symbols of I-Ching. The divinatory symbols can be deduced formally, and cannot be separated from material beings.The forth part refers to the thoughts of Ballad of GuaYao of I-Ching. The ballad of GuaYao and the divinatory symbols share the same metaphysical foundation which is the universal view of the whole world and there are correspondences between them. The ballad of GuaYao can be divided into two parts——the ballad of figure and divination. The ballad of figure is composed of many poems about social activities of Shang and Zhou Dynasties and few historical records. The ballad of divination is mainly on the prediction of good or ill luck and rules of nature and society.The fifth part refers to the retrospective analysis of Kant’s thoughts about the question of "How can synthetical judgments a priori be possible?" and general analysis of I-Ching. Kant argued that there were three requirements——perceptual intuition, Understanding Category and transcendental imagination, which exist in I-Ching as well. They are the ballad of figure, the divinatory symbols and the divination respectively.The last part refers to the essential connotation and basical questions of metaphysics. There are two parts in any question and investigation which are "what is this" and "how can...be possible"."What is this" focuses on the essence of beings and "how can...be possible" is mainly on the existence of beings. The later has priority over the former.