중앙데일리

Time for a new social contract

Jean Jacques Rousseau's "The Social Contract or Principles of Political Right" was published in 1762. In the slim volume referred to as his little treatise on the social contract, Rousseau characterized a nation as formed through mutual contracts entered into by the people of their free will. As much as he stressed the importance of the social contract, Rousseau said the last and the highest standard for remedy in the event the contract was broke…

Sept 04,2002
Cord offers a lifeline

For a long time, our ancestors observed the tradition of wrapping a newborn infant's umbilical cord in a clean cloth and storing it in a wooden case. Inscribed on the lid of the case was a Chinese character meaning longevity. On the back of the case, they recorded the date of birth of the baby. Some people put their babies' cut nails and hair in the cases along with the cord. They believed that keeping a baby's navel cord in the house would bring…

Sept 03,2002
How close is too close?

Arthur Schopenhauer, the 19th century philosopher, likened human relations to those of hedgehogs. Cold when alone, the hedgehog moves closer to other hedgehogs. But with their bodies covered with thorns, they are pained by huddling, and so they keep a reasonable distance. A distance at which they can feel each other's warmth but not close enough to get pierced. Desmond Morris, renowned for his book "The Naked Ape," was interested in how people…

Sept 02,2002
A comedian loved by all

In June 1989, many Japanese grieved when Misora Hibary, who was called the "queen of Japanese blues" and considered the best postwar female singer, passed away. The Japanese media mourned her death as if it was a national tragedy. The Japanese government decorated her with an honorable citizen award. In Nov. 1992, Yves Montand, a French actor and singer, famous in Korea for his song "Autumn Leaves," died in Paris. His passing headlined the Fr…

Aug 31,2002
An artistic saint remembered

There are few honorifics like "chihwaseon," the title given to Jang Seung-up, a late Joseon Dynasty painter who lived from 1843 to 1897. The term translates roughly as a painter whose craftsmanship is equal to that of a divine being and who can draw paintings even better when he is drunk. Painters were sometimes degraded and called a "painting fellow," but also respected as a "saint of painting." The painter who reached the stage of a "divine bei…

Aug 30,2002
Lies, damned lies and...

"I surveyed the average annual income of lawyers in Chicago in 1947. On average, lawyers who had graduated from university made $11,000, but the income of lawyers without college degrees, only high school diplomas, was $12,000. So is it true that the more lawyers study, the less money they make?" That was the question thrown out by Robert Hooke, a statistician. The statistics were "true" at that time, when a legal practitioner required only a …

Aug 30,2002
Lies, damned lies and...

"I surveyed the average annual income of lawyers in Chicago in 1947. On average, lawyers who had graduated from university made $11,000, but the income of lawyers without college degrees, only high school diplomas, was $12,000. So is it true that the more lawyers study, the less money they make?" That was the question thrown out by Robert Hooke, a statistician. The statistics were "true" at that time, when a legal practitioner required only a …

Aug 29,2002
Friends few and far between

In 1578, the Tibetan monk believed to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, Sonam Gyatso, traveled to what is now China's Qinghai province on the invitation of the Mongolian leader, Altan Khan, who bestowed the title of Dalai Lama on Sonam Gyatso. Dalai is Mongolian for "ocean" and Lama is "spiritual teacher." That was the origin of the title Dalai Lama, used to refer to the leaders of Tibet since 1642 who are believed to be successive rein…

Aug 28,2002
Leaders must study leadership

When the political situation becomes chaotic, as it now is in Korea, people wonder how their leaders will demonstrate their leadership. This is only natural: During tumultuous economic times, people focus on the leadership skills of chief executive officers. When a country is facing war, people wonder who will command their military forces and what the person's character is like. This is because their country's future depends on his leadership. …

Aug 27,2002
Summer is a-winding down

"July is the beginning of fall, when the season enters ipchu or cheoseo. Summer may still have one last burst of heat, but how long can it hold off autumn's progression? Rain does not pound, but falls in gentle drops, and the wind feels different. And with what foods did those cicadas fill their stomachs / So they can burst with song in the clean air?" That is how the lunar month of July is described in a Korean folk song, the Nonggaw…

Aug 26,2002

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