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Asian Aids 'ignorance' warning by Alice Donald

chi (ch'i  or qi)

Ch'i or qi (pronounced "chee" and henceforth spelled "chi") is the Chinese word used to describe "the natural energy of the Universe." This energy, though called "natural," is spiritual or supernatural, and is part of a metaphysical, not an empirical, belief system. New Agers often refer to this energy as subtle energy. Chi is thought to permeate all things, including the human body. Such metaphysical systems are generally referred to as types of  vitalism. One of the key concepts related to chi is the concept of harmony. Trouble, whether in the universe or in the body, is a function of disharmony, of things being out of balance and in need of restoration to equilibrium.

Proponents claim to prove the existence and power of chi by healing people with acupuncture or chi kung (qi gong), by doing magic tricks such as breaking a chopstick with the edge of a piece of paper or resuscitating a "dead" fly, or by martial arts stunts like breaking a brick with a bare hand or foot. When examined under controlled conditions, however, the seemingly paranormal or supernatural feats of masters of chi turn out to be quite ordinary feats of magic, deception, or natural powers.

Vitalism is a popular philosophy in many cultures. Thus, chi has many counterparts: prana (India and therapeutic touch), ki (Japan); Wilhelm Reich's orgone, Mesmer's animal magnetism, Bergson's élan vital (vital force), to name just a few. The concept is very popular among New Age thinking, where it generally goes by the name of energy, though the concept bears no resemblance to the concept as used by physicists.

See also energy, I Ching, feng shui, koro, and yin/yang.

further reading

reader comments

• The no-touch knockout exposed (Yanagi Ryuken)
• The no-touch knockout exposed again (George Dillman)
• Energy Healing: Looking in All the Wrong Places by Robert Todd Carroll
• "Acupuncture, Qigong, and "Chinese Medicine" by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
• Debunking Vitalism
• Reality Check: The Energy Fields of Life by Victor Stenger
• The Chinese Philosophy Page
• Su Tzu's Chinese Philosophy Page

Huston, Peter. "China, Chi, and Chicanery - Examining Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chi Theory," Skeptical Inquirer, Sept/Oct 1995.

Livingston, James D. Driving Force: The Natural Magic of Magnets (Harvard University Press, 1997).

Randi, James. An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural (N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, 1995).

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chi kung