The Book of Changes^[1] - I  Ching in Chinese - gains its real meaning through interaction with the "user ", thus lending itself to the most advanced method of intellect-machine interface.^[2]

As theoretical physicist, I am tempted to compare the I  Ching lines to the energy levels in Quantum Mechanics as well as to the String Theory:^[3]  Both, the symbolic line in the I Ching and the symbolic string in the String Theory represent basic elements of intellectual systems that try to discover the secrets and understand the workings of our universe; albeit, "different " universes. The I  Ching relates to the human experience (in sixty-four dimensions), and is limited to it, while the String Theory deals with the laws of nature (in ten dimensions) and tries to be a "theory of everything ". However, the (mathematical) complexity of dealing with such a large number of dimensions extends beyond the scope of pure philosophy and language. Nevertheless, using one's imagination, analogies can be drawn between symmetries in the structure of the I  Ching and those found in modern physics and mathematics.

There is no doubt that the wise amongst our ancestors profoundly appreciated the beauty and wonder of existence (i.e., the universe, "the creation "). Although they have not known as much as we do about physics, they knew a great deal about mankind. Some of this ancient knowledge is preserved in the I  Ching and we can learn and benefit from it today.

D. Baruth

Los Angeles, 1999

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[1] German: I GING - Das Buch der Wandlungen, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf - Köln, 1956.   English: The I Ching or BOOK OF CHANGES, Bollingen Series XIX, Princeton University Press, 3rd ed., 1967.
[2] The Electronic Edition of  The I Ching - The original I Ching text embedded into an interactive computer program by the author.
[3] Superstrings!