God and the Son of Heaven in the Perspective of the Zhu-Liang Theorem of Recursive Nested Functions: The Cross-Civilizational Manifestation of Recursive-Element Nested Functors
Abstract
God in the West and the Son of Heaven in the East, as the supreme symbols of ultimate reality in two major civilizations, exhibit a profound ontological isomorphism when viewed through the lens of the Zhu-Liang Theorem of Recursive Nested Functions. Based on the core constructions of the Zhu-Liang theorem---the cognitive category $\Cog$, the double negation functor $G$, the truth space $\Omega$, and the truth function $h_A$---this paper demonstrates that God can be regarded as the terminal coalgebra $\Omega$ itself, i.e., the fixed point of the recursive-element nested functor; whereas the Son of Heaven can be understood as the truth function $h_{\text{Son of Heaven}}$ of a specific cognitive object (the monarch and his governance system), whose mission is to make his own projection infinitely approach the deep unity of $\Omega$. Both share the same recursive structure: infinite nesting, self-reference, and causal self-consistency. This analysis not only dissolves the superficial opposition between Eastern and Western supreme concepts but also reveals the recursive foundation for cross-civilizational philosophical dialogue, providing a new example of the universality of ``one flower, one world.''
Fields of Study & Subjects
Study and Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Chinese history and philosophy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 16 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint