Another oddity to the sensibilities of the modern reader when reading the Dee tales is the relative accuracy of the ever-present dreams, supernatural foreshadowing, and ghosts that enable Dee to find the truth. The connection between the afterlife and the world today was another important aspect of Confucianism. The ability of the supernatural to point the way to the truth shows the essential harmony of nature -- the entire cosmos shows that 'the way' is there, so only if mortal man look to find it, it is there.

There are some features of Dee's detection are similar to modern police work, and do not cause a non-Confucian reader to raise an eyebrow. Dee deploys psychological insight and observation to come to the root of a mystery, noting that, good Confucian he is, he has studied carefully the ancient handbooks of detection, which values the importance of knowing the character, daily...
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