Abstract

As the new millennium approaches, our modern technologies are bringing together many diverse cultures with distinctive ways of thinking and operating in the world. Additionally, the increased immigration of people to the United States from Pacific Rim nations, brings a mingling of eastern and western cultures and modes of thought. Many of the cultural treasures of East Asia are very popular in the United States and the influence of these activities is being manifested in our way of approaching the world. The ancient East Asian game of Goe is being used in business and philosophy departments in the United States to help their students better understand the patterns of East Asian thinking which are unusual to western styles of thinking. Goe has also become one of the major challenges in the math and computer science community for the development of artificial intelligence. ;The present study focuses on evaluating the efficacy of using the game goe as a vehicle for studying East Asian thought. The work concentrated on exploring the structure of the game and how it related to three important concepts of East Asian thought: Yin/Yang, Wu-Wei, and Big Mind. First the history of goe which, by tradition, places it in a context of high esteem among East Asian scholars is established. Next, an exploration of the game itself is presented within the context of the selected East Asian principles. ;The study demonstrates that the three selected principles are a part of the nature of the game and therefore playing the game can provide an experience which would enhance the understanding of these principles. Because the game is readily accessible from about age four without regard to language barriers, there is great promise for its future use in helping westerners to understand the basis of East Asian thinking