Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Czarjorge]

Have many of you read "The Geography of Thought"? What about "The Koreans" or "Guns, Germs, and Steel"?

Thoughts? I have many, but I'll let randomness start the discussion.

[endo]

I've read two of the three.

Guns, Germs, and Steel was fantastic!

It's interesting how geography, and how specific global origins of certain plants (wheat, barely, rice) and animals (cows, pigs, horses) played such a key factor in the development of the human species.

And it's even more interesting how the location of these plants and animals and also climate led to certain nations/ethnicities (whatever you want to call it) to develope at a faster pace than others.

The book also explains to us why the natives of the New World didn't stand a chance when confronted by Europeans. In that because of the Europeans exposure to certain breeds of livestock they were able to build up certain immunities over the years. The natives in turn didn't not have these natural defenses and were thus descimated (in terms of population) through the various diseases transmitted through contact with European animals and even people.



The Koreans was another great book. It really put this countries history into perspective and related this to the social character of the Korean people. I was particularly interested with Bean's examination of South Korea's economic development following the Korean war. It's simply an economic miricle that is virtually unparalled anywhere else on this planet.

You have to give a lot of respect to the South Korean people for this. Although I also wish the South Korean public would be more accepting of the role foreign capital, defence, and access to markets played in this success.



I have not read The Geography of Thought, but if it was as good as the first to I migt have to.



(Wow, I haven't had a nerd moment like that in a while. I love teaching the kids, but my intellectual capacities are kind of limited in this country. I can't wait till I can go back to University in a few years time.)

[Tony_Balony]

I read GG&S Part II but I can't comment on it because I'm late for work.

[mehmeh]

I read both Guns, Germs and Steel and The Koreans.

GGS was an interesting read. I felt like I could have read the epilogue at the back of the book and understood the whole thing though. I agree with the criticism that he thesis is too deterministic and leaves little to the strength of human ingenuity and free thought.

The Koreans was brilliant. Like all good books I read the first half and never picked it up again. I was pleased to learn about the Korean ethnic roots originating in central Asia. It makes me smile when I hear Koreans put down their closest genetic ancestors, the Mongolians. I hope to reread the first half again someday.

What the Geography of Thought about?

[Tony_Balony]

[Atavistic]

I've read THE KOREANS and GEOGRAPHY OF THOUGHT. The circle thing in Geo of Thought, Western vs Eastern viewpoint of the individual's place within a group and that group's relation to other groups--spot on.

[tomato]

It was either in The Koreans or Geography of Thought that I read that Asians tend to think in terms of nouns whereas we tend to think in nouns.

But I don't see that.
In the children's room in the library, I have seen very simple books with one picture and one word on each page.
In every one of those books, the picture was of a person, animal, or thing and the word was a noun.
I have never seen a children's book with one picture and one verb on each page.

Here is a Korean children's book which I have translated as What time is it now?



Page for page, the book translates as:

What time is it now?
Is it time to dance?
Is it time to swim?
Is it time to sing?
Is it time to swing?
No, it's time to read a book.


I once read this book to a preschool class.
They didn't seem to understand the verbs.
Rather, they hollered out the name of each animal: "오리!" "다람쥐!" "토끼!"

[jajdude]

Following tomato's post (off thread topic a bit), makes me wonder why we all know so many animal names at very young ages, before knowing more useful words. We never or rarely see most of these animals for real. Maybe animals just appeal to kids somehow, and are included in so many stories. Bears go shopping, pigs fight wolves, rabbits race turtles, and elephants are scared of mice.

[tomato]

Shortly after I came here, I read a book which said that the population is roughly one-fourth Buddhist, one-fourth Christian, and one-half uncommitted.
That puts the Buddhists and the Christians on an equal level, so I expected to see arguments between the two.
That puts the religiously committed and the religiously uncommitted on an equal level, so I expected to see arguments between the two.

In my country, the religiously uncommitted object to coins being stamped with IN GOD WE TRUST.
And they are a mere 5% at the most.
So I expected the religiously uncommitted in Korea to object to the second line of the National Anthem, which says, "May God preserve our land for ten thousand years."

One of those two books--I forget which--explains all that.
It says that Koreans are not as inclined as we are to see differences of opinions as controversies.
It is not uncommon for a Korean to embrace Christianity without renouncing Buddhism.

[Atavistic]

[tomato]

Here is an old thread on "The Koreans":

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=47680&highlight=

and another old thread on "The Geography of Thought":

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=45719&highlight=