The Arcs of Descent and Ascent and Bringing to Perfection: an Islamic Metaphysical Paradigm in Neo-Confucian Terms

This intercivilizational study demonstrates how philosophical systems distant in time and space have developed a common metaphysical paradigm in the Islamic symbolism of “Arcs of Descent and Ascent.” It discusses resonances among concepts observed in the ancient Chinese classic I Ching , the development of the paradigm in medieval Islamic thought, and later Neo-Confucian interpretations by the seventeenth-century Chinese Muslim scholar Liu Zhi, who aimed to bridge Islamic philosophy and Confucianism. The article analyzes the mystical, social, and historical significances of the paradigm.