1. Serendipity and Other Theories

Today, serendipity is found in a wide range of areas, from science, history, and culture to love and fortune. The American film Serendipity, released in 2002, portrayed a chance-driven love story set mainly in New York. The singer Lee Sun-hee also named one of her albums Serendipity. Serendipity even appears in the name of an idol group, and it is analyzed in benchmarking reports on creativity development produced by major corporations. In science, it manifests as complexity theory, while in the fields of culture and art, it appears as a form of resistance to positivist modern theory.

At present, serendipity has not yet been systematized into a concrete theory, but this does not mean that related research is entirely absent. To begin with, the seven laws of serendipity proposed by Miyanaga Hiroshi, author of *The Laws of Serendipity*, may be summarized as follows: first, serendipity can visit anyone; second, one must relate seemingly unrelated things; third, one should conceive of ideas like a beginner while executing them like an expert; fourth, one should think of the unexpected; fifth, one should induce chance inspiration to arise; sixth, one should engage in logical thinking while broadening its scope; and seventh, one should cultivate a sense of solidarity within the organization.[1]

Examining Miyanaga Hiroshi's theory, serendipity appears to be a matter of chance, but it is in fact the discovery, out of chaos, of a new circulatory order that had not previously been found. The circulatory order referred to here differs from mere order, because an order possessing a circulation like that of a system can only be discovered through chance. Serendipity draws attention today precisely because, as a new circulatory order discovered out of chaos, it is both essential for survival today and highly effective.

If serendipity is the discovery of circulatory order out of chaos, then it can be newly defined through time, space, and the human, the representative circulatory orders of the natural world. It may also be regarded as a concept similar to culture, in that both share the properties of contingency and circulation. We have previously applied culture, using the framework of 'I, Here, Now'—which embodies time, space, and the human—to analogical thinking, empathy, and the like. In this paper, taking serendipity as its foundation and centering on 'I, Here, Now,' we attempt to apply it likewise to analogical thinking, empathy, and so forth.

Throughout history, both East and West have divided the chaos of the universe into the circulatory order of time, space, and the human. This can in turn be condensed into the concepts of analogical thinking, empathy, and 'I, Here, Now.' If analogical thinking, which discovers common patterns among things, is the discovery of the laws of space according to changes in time, then empathy is the work of discovering the laws of time through human resonance within space, while 'I, Here, Now' establishes laws that render time and space interchangeable from the standpoint of the human observer. Serendipity can develop especially well in a place such as Jeju Island, where chaos is greater than on the mainland and where the natural environment and culture—both concentrated expressions of time, space, and the human—stand in close confrontation with one another.

Looking at the scientific domains related to serendipity, analogical thinking, empathy, and 'I, Here, Now' resemble Newtonian theory, the theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics, respectively. Newtonian theory, which discovered the law of universal gravitation by observing an apple fall; the theory of relativity, born from pondering how light would appear if one traveled faster than light itself; and quantum mechanics, which proved the existence of quanta and the importance of the observer through the double-slit experiment—these are theories in the scientific world that can represent serendipity.

If analogical thinking, empathy, and 'I, Here, Now' are regarded as corresponding to the human, space, and time, then, among the many concepts of East and West, a great number can be interpreted in terms of the human, space, and time. Representative examples in Eastern thought include Heaven-Earth-Human, yin-yang–Five Phases–li-qi, and Confucianism-Buddhism-Daoism, concepts that were distinguished according to the human, space, and time.[2]

Analogical thinking, empathy, and 'I, Here, Now' are likewise relatively easy to understand when viewed from the standpoint of the interchangeability, relativity, and absoluteness possessed by the human, space, and time. Taking the history of science as an example, human beings pursue an absolute law of time through an absolute form of analogical thinking, as in Newtonian theory. Newtonian theory admits no exceptions, just like an absolute law, and applies analogically in the same way to both the apple and the moon. Yet once Newtonian theory was completed, the next step, as in the theory of relativity, sought to introduce relative change, and then, as in quantum theory, even relativity itself was transformed into an interchangeability determined by the human observer. Compared with Eastern thought, Newtonian theory is close to the Five Phases, the theory of relativity to yin-yang, and quantum mechanics to the theory of li-qi (理氣).[3]

For example, in the case of viewing a circle: the Five Phases depict the circle in the temporal sequence of wood-fire-metal-water-earth, just as in Newton's law; yin-yang views the relative appearance of the circle in space as yin and yang; and the theory of li-qi views, from the observer's standpoint, the presence or absence of the circle interchangeably, that is, as li and qi (理氣).

Since Eastern thought, like serendipity theory, understood all things through the common pattern of time, space, and the human, examining the integrated understanding of yin-yang–Five Phases–li-qi in Eastern thought is of great importance for understanding serendipity. According to this integrated Eastern understanding, the Five Phases of wood, fire, metal, water, and earth can be divided into water (水), which represents wood, fire, and metal, and earth (土), thereby connecting yin-yang, the Five Phases, and li-qi.[4] When wood, fire, metal, and water are unified into water, water and earth come to represent yin-yang and li-qi, respectively. Water can represent wood, fire, and metal because wood, fire, and metal are regarded as transformations of water. The reason water and earth cannot be merged is that earth is a being that exists in reality while at the same time being a transcendent being absent from reality. Earth plays the role of regulating (調理) water from the center, while water becomes, through qi (氣), the agent of transformation (氣化) that changes all things. When wood, fire, metal, and water are thus unified as water, yin-yang, the Five Phases, and li-qi—that is, time, space, and the human—come into accord. Here, the human being, like earth, is the being that regulates (調理) all things through centrality (中).[5]

The reason why Eastern thought used similar concepts such as yin-yang, the Five Phases, and li-qi in distinct ways has not been clearly explained. Yet through East-West exchange, that reason is now coming to light. While Western theory underwent numerous changes, the East consistently used only the concepts of yin-yang and the Five Phases, li-qi, and Confucianism-Buddhism-Daoism. The reason Eastern theory saw no major change may be that these three concepts, grounded in space, time, and the human, possessed theoretical completeness.[6]

The West, too, has its counterparts: Kant, for instance, distinguished cognition into three kinds—the categorical imperative, the disjunctive imperative, and the hypothetical imperative—while more recently Deleuze and Lacan have each drawn their own distinctions in human cognition, which likewise can be viewed in terms of time, space, and the human. Thus, by analogy with the views of Kant, Deleuze, and Lacan, it is possible to condense time, space, and the human into absoluteness, relativity, and interchangeability.[7]

Turning next to the domain of creativity, the circulatory theories of creativity include the law of circulation, TRIZ, and structurology. Likewise, the law of circulation is close to the Five Phases (Newton's law), TRIZ to yin-yang (the theory of relativity), and structurology to the theory of li-qi (quantum mechanics).[8] The law of circulation is a general term for theories—such as yin-yang–Five Phases, the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind), and the Four Images theory—that discover the common structure of all things through the repetition of contraction and expansion. The reason vast galaxies and atoms and molecules share the same structure is that vast galaxies undergo compression and expansion movements centered on black holes and white holes, while atoms and molecules likewise undergo the same movement, with the nucleus functioning as a miniature black hole. Nature's law of circulation can also be applied to automobile engines and computers, since these too possess a law of circulation similar to that of nature; the law of circulation therefore constitutes the first stage of creativity. Like Newton's universal gravitation, the law of circulation may be described as a theory of creativity constructed according to an absolute principle of space. This law of circulation has recently been laid out in detail by Oh Gwang-gil.[9]

As shown below, the law of circulation discovers common patterns in the cycle of the seasons, the motion of atoms, and so forth, thereby explaining diverse phenomena through the same pattern. Creativity, therefore, follows incidentally from the discovery of common patterns within the law of circulation.

[Figure Ⅱ.1] Overview of the circulation of all things[10]

[Figure Ⅱ.2] Overview of circulatory motion and physical circulation

The law of circulation is, at its core, a theory holding that the same circulation occurs everywhere, from atoms to galaxies, and from visible objects to the invisible realms of the spirit and society. The law of circulation merely expresses this more clearly; the fractal principle of the identical circulation of all things that it describes has, throughout all ages and both East and West, been a central tradition, as seen in the four elements and in yin-yang–Five Phases.

[Figure Ⅱ.3] The circulatory motion of the seasons[11]

[Figure Ⅱ.4] The eight phases of circulatory motion[12]

Applying the law of circulation, various physical and chemical changes can also be explained. As shown in the figure below, chemical formulas follow the eight patterns of circulation. Light and electrical motion, too, can be explained through the law of circulation.

[Figure Ⅱ.5] The process of element formation from hydrogen and helium[13]

Explaining the formation of the elements through the law of circulation: hydrogen, as the point of attraction, has the property of positivity (+), corresponding to Greater Yang (太陽); deuterium, as the point of adhesive force, has the property of neutrality (+-), corresponding to Lesser Yang (少陽); tritium, as the point of repulsive force, has the property of anti-positivity (-), corresponding to Greater Yin (太陰); and helium, as the point of balancing force, has the property of anti-neutrality (-+), corresponding to Lesser Yin (少陰).

The element helium, born from the combination of hydrogen atoms, continues to be generated and becomes the nucleus that forms the basis of the second-period elements. Here, hydrogen, deuterium, tritium, helium, and so forth continue to fuse, generating the elements of the second period.

Looking at the process of forming second-period elements: second-period nucleus (helium) + tritium = lithium; second-period nucleus (helium) + tritium + deuterium = beryllium; second-period nucleus (helium) + helium + tritium = boron, and so on. This law of circulation can thus explain the formation of numerous elements since the Big Bang.[14]

[Figure Ⅱ.6] Circulation and the propagation of light[15]

In the figure above, Group VIII of the periodic table displays chemical properties similar to the eight aspects of circulatory motion. Light, too, as shown in the figure above, moves in a straight line while maintaining a circulation between particle nature (+) and wave nature (-).

This circulatory system of + → +- → - → -+, as proposed by the law of circulation, applies not only to light but to all systems. It signifies the circulation of the atomic nucleus's proton (+) → neutron (+-) → antiproton (-) → antineutron (-+). Although this law of circulation is, of course, a new theory, it in fact applies principles derived from sources such as Sasang constitutional medicine (四象醫學). Expressed in terms of the traditional four elements and yin-yang–Five Phases, this law of circulation can be represented as follows.

[Figure Ⅱ.7] The four properties of the circulation of yin-yang and the Five Phases[16]

The figure above depicts yin-yang and the Five Phases in the form of the law of circulation, in order to compare the two. The figure on the left represents a fountain: spring signifies wood-propulsion, the force that rises up within the fountain, and fire signifies fire-radiance, the force that spreads outward from the fountain. Metal signifies metal-withdrawal, the water falling within the fountain, and water signifies water-latency, the force that compresses toward the center of the fountain like a seed. Connecting yin-yang and the Five Phases, as understood through the fountain, with the law of circulation yields the following figure.

[Figure Ⅱ.8] Comparison of yin-yang–Five Phases and the law of circulation

The law of circulation resembles the Five Phases in that both movements are fountain movements. They differ in that the Five Phases begin with wood (木), whereas the law of circulation begins with earth (土), following the principle that wood overcomes earth (木克土). This is due to the difference between the macrocosm and the microcosm—that is, to the law of the disparity between outward appearance and inner substance (表裏不同), which arises necessarily from the circulation of the cosmos in Eastern thought.

In Eastern thought, the macrocosm and the microcosm always move in opposite directions, so that water exists within fire, and fire exists within water. Thus, if the Five Phases, which represent change in the macrocosm, circulate through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, then the law of circulation, which represents change in the microcosm, undergoes a circulatory motion of autumn, winter, spring, and summer.

If the law of circulation speaks of the absolute circulation of time and space, as do the Five Phases and Newton's law, then the next form of creativity to be discussed is TRIZ, which, like yin-yang or the theory of relativity, solves problems through the separation of time and space.

TRIZ is a 'theory for creative problem-solving' that Genrich Altshuller of Russia summarized into forty patterns after investigating patents from around the world. TRIZ is an acronym for the Russian 'Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskih Zadach,' also referred to in English as TIPS (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving). TRIZ is a principle common to all invention and innovation, a problem-solving principle that resolves contradictions without compromise or either-or choice. Behind the rapid progress of innovation today, which was once so sluggish, lies TRIZ. In fact, TRIZ has become the foundation for the innovative development of Korean high-technology companies such as Samsung and POSCO, earning worldwide recognition.[17]

Surprisingly, the place where TRIZ is most highly developed and most actively used in the world is Korea, which has further developed TRIZ into a Korean-style TRIZ that has earned worldwide recognition. The core of Korean-style TRIZ lies precisely in the separation of time and space. TRIZ is a process of discovering the contradiction within a problem and resolving it. The core of Korean-style TRIZ is that, since contradiction arises precisely from symmetry within circulation, and symmetry is a symmetry of time and space, separating time and space alone can creatively resolve the problem.[18] Thus, serendipity—arising through the empathy of Heaven-Earth-Human, that is, of time, space, and the human—can be said to be represented by problem-solving through Korean-style TRIZ.[19]

To take an example of problem-solving through spatial separation, consider the case of a high heel getting stuck in a manhole hole. A high heel getting caught in a manhole hole is a problem that arises from the contradiction between the size of the holes in the manhole cover, made to let rainwater pass through, and the width of the high heel's heel, made to support the body. It is a spatial contradiction: to let a large amount of rainwater through, the holes must be large, but to prevent the high heel from passing through, the holes must be small. TRIZ solved this problem by making the manhole holes conical, with their height set diagonally. Triangles, diagonals, and cones of this kind are recurring solutions in TRIZ-style problem-solving.

[Figure Ⅱ.9] Summary of the technique of spatial separation[20]

Next, as an example of temporal separation, consider the problem of cleaning an electrified subway with water. The subway must be cleaned, but the problem of the risk of electric shock from the live current must also be solved. To clean with water, the water hose must be connected; to prevent the electric current from passing, the water hose must not be connected. The solution to this problem is to send water through the hose intermittently, so that it is sometimes connected and sometimes not. Because the water connects with the hose intermittently, cleaning is accomplished, yet because the connection is intermittent, there is no risk of electric shock.

[Figure Ⅱ.10] TRIZ analysis of a case of temporal separation[21]

Among the forty principles of TRIZ, temporal separation, further subdivided, is as follows.

[Figure Ⅱ.11] Temporal separation among the forty principles of TRIZ[22]

If the law of circulation constructs the absolute laws of time and space through analogical thinking, TRIZ readjusts the laws thus constructed through the separation of time and space. Serendipity, which does not emerge from the law of circulation, may also emerge from TRIZ's separation of time and space.

The creativity that comes after TRIZ is structurology, which—like Li-Qi theory (理氣論) or quantum mechanics—makes use of the interchangeability of time and space. The structurology discussed here encompasses, together with structuralism, theories that render circulation operable in the manner of TRIZ. Structurology integrates the strengths of TRIZ and the law of circulation. Whereas the law of circulation deals with the process of compression and explosion, structurology, like the Li-Qi concept that unifies yin and yang into one, unifies the circulatory concepts of compression and explosion under the single concept of structure. For example, Lacan, renowned for structuralist psychoanalysis, and Žižek, who creatively inherited his theory, show in numerous film codes how a simple prop can structure countless codes of desire.[23] Epistemological structuralists such as Michel Serres show that the many disciplines of modern civilization, as they appear across the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences, share one and the same structure.[24] Kim Dong-ryeol's structurology, which renders the law of circulation explicit as structure, expresses what circulatory science calls contraction-explosion-expansion-diffusion in terms such as particle-force-motion-quantity.[25]

[Figure Ⅱ.12] The Law of Circulation of the Macrocosm [Figure Ⅱ.13] The Structurology of the Microcosm

[Figure Ⅱ.14] Overview of Structurology[26]

Structurology translates the forces expressed as wood-fire-metal-water-earth in yin-yang-and-the-five-phases, or as compression and explosion in the law of circulation, into mechanical-engineering terms in the manner of TRIZ. As seen in the structurology of the microcosm, structurology expresses the movement that the Five Phases and the law of circulation describe as withdrawing nature (引退性) and compression through the concept of the 'particle.' The clearly articulated terminology of structurology, like that of TRIZ, can be applied directly to practice. For example, one may interpret Alexander's victory as having been achieved by using the force of motion against a Persia arrayed around the quantity of numerical superiority. According to Kim Dong-ryeol's structurology, figures such as Alexander, Qin Shi Huang, Hannibal, Napoleon, and Hitler—whose successes appear to be mere chance—in fact succeeded by thoroughly exploiting the structure of serendipity. It is said that, as the ages passed after Alexander, tactics advanced one stage at a time, until with Hitler warfare reached the stage of the rear-area war. This can be represented comprehensively as in the figure below.

[Figure Ⅱ.15] Structurology as It Appears in East and West[27]

As shown in the figure above, in structurology things are structured so as to achieve balance while possessing a dual symmetry between the internal and the external. Because structurology has this dual axis, interchangeability arises. The logic of 'discrepancy between outward appearance and inward reality' (表裏不同) in Li-Qi theory follows the same principle.

Turning to the domain of love, the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Jung, and Lacan are likewise unified within the domain of symmetry, in which absoluteness, relativity, and interchangeability are all linked to serendipity.[28] Freud held, in the manner of Newton's universal gravitation, that the absolute code of desire called libido governed love, whereas Jung, in the manner of Einstein, relativized libido through the theory of synchronicity. Lacan, claiming to rehabilitate Freud, then structured libido through language. Like structurology, Lacan employed a dual axis, the Imaginary and the Symbolic. These three theories are unified by Matte Blanco through symmetry, the attribute of circulation. Because desire possesses symmetry, it appears in Freud as projection, in Jung as synchronicity, and in Lacan as the symbolic. This symmetry becomes the principal framework of 'fated love' in today's films that deal with serendipity.

Turning next to the domain of culture, one may point to yin-yang-and-the-five-phases and the four elements (地水火風), which represent the revival of circulatory order, together with the science of complex systems. Yin-yang-and-the-five-phases and the four elements are circulatory scientific worldviews that have been transmitted in East and West alike over some 2,000 years, while the science of complex systems may be described as a science that combines yin-yang-and-the-five-phases and the four elements with present-day science. This may be represented simply in the table below.

[Table Ⅱ.1] I, Here, Now and Time, Space, the Human[29]

This is shown in greater detail in the table below.

[Table Ⅱ.2-1] I, Here, Now and Isomorphic Patterns[30]

[Table Ⅱ.2-2] I, Here, Now and Isomorphic Patterns — Law of Circulation, the Four Elements, the Three Functions, Blood Types

[Table Ⅱ.2-3] I, Here, Now and Isomorphic Patterns — Structurology and TRIZ