A reinterpretation of Plato’s geomancy
Published: 04 Apr. 2024, 19:48
The author is former emeritus professor of history at Konkuk University.
In the West, geomancy has continued to be an important part of geography since Plato. His theory is documented in detail in Book V of “The Laws.” His ultimate focus was the construction of a capital. He argued that a capital should be located at the center of the territory for easy access. In that sense, Gyeongju during the Silla Dynasty and Hanseong in the Baekje Dynasty were not appropriately located, as they were not at the center of the countries, not to mention Washington D.C. and Moscow today.
Plato emphasized water as the most important element. A capital should have water running within or around it, as water is essential in human life. People cannot live far from water, which is used for drinking, transportation, climate and defense. In that sense, Seoul, Pyongyang, Buyeo and Paris are ideal capitals.
The second condition for a capital proposed by Plato is wind. He may not have had air pollution in mind at the time, but in a modern city, air circulation has been the biggest concern since the Industrial Revolution. The cities that most contradict Plato’s theory on capital location would be Daegu and Beijing, which are located in basins. It is widely known that the average life expectancy of Beijing residents is lower than that of other regions.
The third condition is what Plato called “geothermal energy,” probably meaning a South-facing location. An ideal capital should not be either mountainous or in a field. When these conditions are met, 5,040 would be an ideal population, according to his theory, and modern social science is yet to solve this riddle. Perhaps he was aiming for what Laozi described as “the distance where you can hear chickens cackling and dogs barking” in the Tao Te Ching.
Now, the specter of a “mega city” is hovering across the country in Korea. There may be a theory of its own, but it is not easy to incorporate Gimpo City into Seoul through a narrow corridor. Policy proposals recklessly offered up by candidates to win votes in the April 10 parliamentary election are upsetting the country again.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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