This article suggests a Western explanation for the Chinese concept of Qi and thus joins the preliminary attempts at integration of Eastern and Western biological philosophies. The idea of Qi is fundamental to Chinese medical thinking, yet no one English word or phrase can adequately capture it s meaning. The linear way of thought requires fractionation of the system studied into parts no longer relevant to the whole system. Qi as a Signal for Metabolic Rate Qi is involved in many biological functions. The main factor that controls well-being is the ability of the organism to work at a sufficient rate.
Information is the key to control mechanisms.
As information links increase the ability to handle complexity, control mechanisms in the body should be regarded as information processing. It is not, therefore, surprising that in Chinese medical thinking so many attributes are associated with Qi. If indeed it is the information net of the body, it will be associated with every biological function. The concept that information alone is sufficient to handle complex organization is scientifically accepted in the West now, but the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tse regarded this as a fundamental principle more than 2,000 years ago. The world is ruled by letting things take their course.