A History of Korean Science and Technology

Preface

Preface “I shall show Korea’s scientific tradition in its true form.” T his has been my desire for the past 35 years that I have spent researching the history of Korea’s scientific tradition. It was this wish that gave rise to the publication of Ancient Science in Korea (1972), Cultural Treasures of Korean Science (1978) and Time, Clock and History (1994). These, however, were limited in scope, each focusing on a particular theme. I still yearned to write comprehensively about the beauty and depth of our scientific tradition. Thus was born the serialized history of Korean science, which appeared in Science Donga. I have had the opportunity to discuss a range of topics with numerous young students of science and have resolved to show them our elegant scientific tradition through the use of visual aids such as pictures and diagrams. In this book, I wish to cast our traditional science in a new light and inspire in the new generation the confidence to take on infinite challenges. I hope to enable them to find the living ideas that permeate the brilliant intellectual accomplishments and creative legacy of the Korean scientists, engineers and technicians of old. Having staked my youth on the past 35 years — by no means the blink of an eye — I now wish to share in earnest what those years have imparted to me. In fact, I find myself lingering in that same field. That is my vantage point for the horizon of my life, although I have yet to reach the horizon of my research. I wish to record a little more of what I have discovered about our scientific tradition, which I have not managed to record in my breathless pursuit thus far. This is why I did not shy away from content that the professional science historian may feel unpolished. My thirst for knowledge would not allow me to confine myself to the field of the history of Korean science and technology alone, but led me on a quest that was uninhibited by the boundaries separating those fields, from archeology to art history, from metal crafts to stoneware. I have learned and gained much from that journey. While I do feel that much has been lost through all of that hard work, still, I have nonetheless gained something great — a comprehensive sense of Korea’s proud scientific tradition. Preface xiii FM-Korean Science xiii FM-Korean Science xiii 9/20/11 11:12:06 AM 9/20/11 11:12:06 AM In this book, I have raised various hypotheses concerning our cultural heritage. What inspired our old masters to produce such work? What do these artifacts symbolize? What inspired the designs, and did they possess the scientific basis that we attribute to them? My hypotheses are my interpretative answers to these questions. Of course, some of these questions have yet to be elucidated through historical evidence. In fact, at present, even the basic research has not yet been conducted, and such hypotheses might seem far-fetched. However, these views are certainly far from being a sketchy summary of the whimsical ideas that crossed my mind. They reflect considerable thought, research and cross-cultural comparison of artifacts, which is why they are rather convincing. Even if flawed, I believe that these theories remain thought-provoking and thus stand to benefit future scholars. Providing clues and provoking new research are important to me now, as is passing on some of the thoughts that have permeated my experiences during my long career in research. After all, until objectively verified, every postulate remains a hypothesis. This history of Korean science encompasses the intricacies of cultural treasures, both artifacts and archeological sites, the pursuit of which I have enjoyed. It is my earnest hope that my readers will not exhibit excessive resistance but will readily embrace my unpolished prose with these thoughts in mind. I am indebted to a number of individuals regarding the publication of this book. I am grateful to many national and international museums and the numerous people involved in the preservation of cultural treasures; scholars researching the history of science; my wife Park Oksun, who accompanied me on my field trips and organized my abundant materials and manuscripts; and the editorial staff of Science Books, especially Yi Ch’ung-mi. The First Spring of the New Millennium, Munomi Reference Room Jeon Sang-woon 전상운 xiv Preface FM-Korean Science xiv FM-Korean Science xiv 9/20/11 11:12:07 AM 9/20/11...