Kim Hyung Seok

Kim Hyung Seok
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Born	(1920-07-06) July 6, 1920 Pyeongannam-do
Nationality	Korean
Citizenship	South Korea
Occupation	Writer Philosopher Honorary professor

Kim Hyung Seok (born July 6, 1920) is a Korean writer, philosopher, and honorary professor at Yonsei University. He served as a professor of philosophy at Yonsei University from 1954 to 1985. He was a research exchange professor at the University of Chicago in 1954 and at Harvard University in 1961. He also taught at Austin University in 1985. Kim became an honorary professor at Yonsei University when he retired in 1985. Kim has written over 112 books, including the bestseller Disease Called Solitude (고독이라는 병), published in 1959.

Life

Kim was born in Pyeongannam-do, Korea under Japanese rule, in 1920. He took a class with Dosan Ahn Chang-ho and studied with poet Yoon Dong-joo. In 1943, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the Department of Philosophy at Jochi University. Korea was liberated in 1945, when Kim was 25 years old. After having experienced communism and witnessed the Korean War, he defected from North Korea in 1947. From 1947 to 1954, he taught at central middle and high schools in Seoul, and in 1954 he became a professor of philosophy at Yonsei University. In 1985, he retired and became an honorary professor at Yonsei University.

Kim Hyung Seok has written numerous philosophical essays including the essay collection Disease Called Solitude, published in 1959, which became a bestseller. His essays explore the modern human condition against the backdrop of Christian existentialism, presenting indicators of modern life and weaving them into poetic sentences. Other collections of essays include The Conversation of Eternity and Love (영원과 사랑의 대화), Wisdom of Living Today (오늘을 사는 지혜), and The Modern People and their Tasks (현재인과 그 과제).

In the 2020s, Kim Hyung Seok continues to write and teach philosophy even as a centenarian. He has said that "from 60 to 75 years old is the prime of everyone's lives," giving courage and hope to many seniors.

Kim Hyung Seok is widely known in the Christian community for his research and writing linking philosophy and Christianity. Since publishing The Philosophical Understanding of Religion (종교의 철학적 이해) in 1992, he has argued that churches must harmonize with society. He writes, "We should not mistake society as being there for the church. The church is there for society. Otherwise, just as Buddhism made Goryeo unhappy and Confucianism degenerated Joseon, Christianity will also lose its meaning in history. At the time of the Reformation, Catholicism committed such errors. What is important is the Christianization of society, rather than the church itself."

Kim Hyung Seok opposes giving the money to the church and instead spends money on people in need. Many people criticize him for being churchless. While studying in Japan, Professor Kim Hyung Seok learned about churchlessness, which is a Christian movement that does not focus on church, tradition, or institution, but focusing on living a Bible-centered religious life.

Kim Hyung Seok's desire for everyone's wellness led him to link philosophy to politics. He is concerned about voting objectively. Most people vote for the candidate from the party that they support, even if the candidate is not as strong as other candidates. Also, some people vote according to regional allegiance. Professor Kim emphasizes that people who vote this way lack the qualifications to participate in elections and commit social evil toward future generations. It is the shared right and duty of candidates and voters to elect leaders who can help more people live happily and autonomously.

Kim has criticized the Moon government and has claimed that if the same policies were to continue with the next president, the country would deteriorate. He has said that the current government is "trying to solve anything with law and power. As with the Media Arbitration Act, the state is regressing. When government control gets worse, it becomes similar to China."

Works

Kim Hyung Seok believed in essentialism, a philosophical approach that emphasizes the individual person as a free and responsible agent that determines their own development through acts of the will.

Essentialism is described in his book, Disease with Solitude, which addresses five themes: life, mind, value, wisdom, and home. This book is a deep philosophical reflection on the beauty and truth of small anecdotes the author has experienced. For example, in one anecdote, a high school student suspected to have a mental illness asked the question, "Where does life come from and go?" Kim writes, "Isn't it a very heavy problem for that young boy?" "Some people live without asking about the truth of their lives until they reach old age," he said. He continued, "Human beings must have a purpose in life. However, it conveys a deep echo that makes us realize the 'truth of life,' that no one has a real purpose.

Starting with The Philosophical Understanding of Religion (종교의 철학적 이해) in 1992, Kim has connected philosophy and Christianity. Professor Kim has intensively discussed the question, "Why should humans meet God?" He finds an answer in "the meaning of human life." He has said, "Interest in religion is a question about human meaning and the value of life, and an intellectual who pursues the meaning and ideological values of life cannot give up expectations and longing for the 'eternal.' This is because that's the task of our lives." He has also asked, "What is truth?" and argued that "Religious, ethical, and historical truth is about our lives and personal experiences." He has said that when we bury dead people, know their values and essence, and find positive meanings in their fates, we realize the truth, will, and essence of life. As a Protestant, Christianity is dialectical. Kim has written, "What does it mean for religion to have open and dynamic vitality? It is to transform many people, if possible, into a truth acceptable to the whole of mankind." Further, he writes, "It should be able to provide future-oriented and creative values, not for the sake of past doctrines or creed," and "It was Jesus who led the religious revolution that best demonstrated such meaning."

Authored Books

Some of Kim Hyung Seok's well known authored books are listed below:

• A Disease Called Solitude (고독이라는 병, 1960)
• Conversation Between Eternity and Love (영원과 사랑의 대화, 1984)
• Will You Spend the Day in Vain (그대여 이날을 헛되이 보내려나, 1985)
• To Find Meanings of Life (인생의 의미를 찾기위하여, 1988)
• A Story I Wish to Share with You (그대와 나누고 싶은 이야기가 있다, 1990)
• Hometown with Life and Pine Forest (인생, 소나무 숲이 있는 고향, 1991)
• I Love, Therefore I Exist (나는 사랑한다. 그러므로 나는 있다, 1991)
• People Who Philosophy with a Hammer (망치들고 철학하는 사람들, 1995)
• Every Child Has a Dream (모든 자녀들에게 꿈이 있다, 1998)
• My Life, My Faith (나의 인생 나의 신앙, 2012)
• The World of Philosophy (철학의 세계, 2002)
• What Makes Us Happy? (우리는 무엇으로 행복해지나, 2016)
• How to Believe It (어떻게 믿을 것인가, 2016)
• After Living for 100 Years (백년을 살아보니, 2016)

Achievements

Some of Kim Hyung Seok's achievements are listed below:

• The First Inje Humanity Award (제1회 인제인성대상, 1999)
• Baekbeom National Unity Award (백범상 국민통합상, 2021)

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