Debating About The Essence Of Discussion On Preserving Or Abolishing TCM

So far whether TCM should be preserved or abolished has experienced many ups and downs and has still been a controversy, the core of which is the scientificness of TCM. Those abolitionists argue that the Yin-yang Five elements theory, the Theory of Zang and Fu, and Meridian Theory can't be verified or proved to be falsified, and thus TCM should be eliminated. Therefore, what really matters the existence of TCM is whether TCM is scientific or not.Science is multicultural, which can be reflected by the diverse characteristics of sciences in different fields. Hence, the scientifical criteria for separating science from metaphysics should be diverse, too. Both"the verification'criterion"of logical empiricism and"the falsification'criterion"of critical rationalism make science idealized, which regards the relation between theory and practice as the sole factor that determines the nature of science, attempting to seek for a universal and absolute criterion from this relation for the separation of science from metaphysics. Obviously, this is a simplistic mistake as Bong calls. In fact, there exist essential differences between the theoretical systems of TCM and WM. existing essential difference. In terms of research approach, TCM is based on the Systematic Integrity, while WM'theory is based on the Empirical and Analytic Reductionism; in terms of research content, TCM is based on the Yin-yang Five Elements Theory of eastern na?ve materialism, while WM'theory is established on the basis of Analytic Aantomy. The fact that they belong to different cultures suggests that it is unfair to measure the scientificness of TCM with the demarcation criterion of western falsification and verification.Whether TCM is scientifical or not is more a problem of practice than a problem of theory, which should and must be tested by practice. In fact, TCM has undergone clinical practice test for several thousand years, the fact that many people's lives have been saved accounts for why TCM survives today despite numerous criticism.In theory, a human being is not a machine but an extremely complex systematic integrity. Accordingly, in clinical diagnosis and treatment, TCM insists on making use of Holism to analyze and study human diseases rather than the research approach of Western Analytic Reductionism. To be specific, it not only focuses on the systematic integrity of each parts of human body, but also the systematic integrity between the human body and the natural environment; then it strives to achieve the optimal effect by making comprehensive observation and examination, dialectical treatment of the disease with the application of combined medications, and adjustment of the whole body and mind. The method of systematic integrity is the core of TCM'Methodology and Epistemology, which is also the strength of TCM. On the whole, the systematic integrity of TCM is mainly reflected in several aspects as follows: Firstly, the systematic integrity of research approach. Secondly, the systematic integrity of TCM diagnosis. Thirdly, the systematic integrity of TCM treatment.It can be seen from the above that TCM is a science, which, however, is not defined by the criterion of the narrow natural science. It is a complexity science with an out-and-out systematic integrity, which is different from one based on the western Analytic Reductionism. Therefore, it is unreasonable to evaluate the scientificness of TCM with the demarcation criterion of western falsifications and verification.