전북대학교 영자신문사(The JBNU Globe), 2022.11.4 기사 전문, 김은지/김도혜 기자
http://www.jbpresscenter.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=502847

《Science and Civilization in Korea》, a series of books organized by the SCK(The Korean Research Institute of Science, Technology and Civilization), has been published in thirty books over the last twelve years. Experts from various fields gathered to create books that are deep and wide enough to be used as textbooks. The series covers not only science but also the general aspects of Korean society such as religion, medicine, women, agriculture, and industrialization. It is said that they made a lot of effort to make it representative of Koreanology1 by writing legibly. The JBNU Globe interviewed authors and researchers who helped create the series.

1Koreanology: the study of Korea

* Unprecedented Challenge: Making Textbook of Koreanology
《Science and Civilization in China》, written by Needham with volumes continuing to be published for the last forty years, broke the prejudice that Western science is superior to Oriental science. This is a series of books on the history of premodern science in China. Director Shin Dong-won of the SCK, said that 《Science and Civilization in Korea》, which followed these books, shows the uniqueness of Korean science beyond premodern history. He added that Korea has succeeded in publishing a collection of books that are not easy to make in other developed countries.

Yang Kyu-hyun, who was in charge of research and organization of data as a research assistant at the SCK, said that there are many unknown parts of Korean scientific history. For example, it is commonly known that Dr. Woo Jang-chun made seedless watermelons. However, he was the first to bring seedless watermelons to Korea and it is not true that he made them. He said that misinformation like this is corrected in the books. He also added that previously there was no such compilation of data in various fields, which was made available as a textbook, such as 《Chemistry》 written by Zumdahl. Actually, some universities use 《Science and Civilization in Korea》 as lecture materials.

* Difficulties in Publishing Books

The authors said that they faced many difficulties while laying a new foundation for Koreanology. Professor Jun Yong-hoon of The Academy of Korean Studies, who wrote 《The History of Astronomy in Korea》, also had to manage the other authors. He said, “it was not easy to maintain the uniformity and systematic structure of all books. In addition, we strived to preserve each book's individuality.” Moreover, they didn’t leave it to the authors to write without guidance and receive manuscripts a few years later. Every month, the planning team and the authors took time to communicate. They critiqued and provided constructive feedback to examine each other, and tried to complete the books that were consistent with the direction of the series.

From the perspective of writing a book, he said that it was difficult to meet the deadline while his work felt inadequate. There were time and financial limitations, and he felt dissatisfied with the amount of research. He also added that it was not easy to write for all readers. They aimed for a popular academic book rather than a professional book.

* Significance of Humanities in Social Development

This book series not only deals with the scientific facts revealed through experiments, but also with the close connection between science and the humanities. For example, how religious ideas of the past or hegemony of an era were reflected in science. Then, in which direction should science and the humanities go?

Professor Moon Man-yong of JBNU, who wrote 《The Evolution of Science and Technology Research Systems in South Korea》 raised a question about whether the world we live in can be divided into humanities and science technology. “A person cannot be good at everything, but it is necessary to build basic knowledge about things that are not really your interests,” he said.

A former SCK research assistant Yang stated that Korean education focuses on finding the right answer to the problem computationally, whereas the logic of the world is not so mathematical. “A person who only calculates is no different from a calculator. Humanities establishes rule by interpreting the logic of uncertain and irrational causal relationships in which the world works, and expands our perspective.” He believes that humanities can identify the fundamental causes of social problems and examine solutions to reach development. “Let’s promote humanities,” he emphasized.

* Research Must Go on
Preparations are actively underway to publish the book series in English as well. In addition to the first volume already published, six volumes are in the process of editing manuscripts in English, and contracts have been signed with Cambridge and New York State University Press.

In addition, although 《Science and Civilization in Korea》 has been completed in thirty volumes, the SCK will not stop there. They are currently working on a project to compile the history of Korean health. This research includes discrimination against Koreans related to sewage maintenance in Japanese colonial era and the management of infectious diseases that were carried out in Korea in the past.

Yang insisted there are not many countries in the world that can study the history of science or society like this. “Research is possible only when you can afford to look back, because you have a lot more to care about if you need to worry about eating and living each day. I think these books are evidence that Korea is becoming an advanced country in the intellectual field,” he said.

《Science and Civilization in Korea》 deals with the specific details of our scientific history to the extent that they are used as a textbook in graduate schools. If you are interested, why don’t you try expanding your knowledge through these books? You can find the collection in the JBNU Central Library.