In a world where "living well means losing," why should we live uprightly "despite all that?" This book helps us reclaim the "thread of ethics" that sustains our lives, a thread that has been fading in the pursuit of greater profit.
Professor Eom Seong-woo of Seoul National University's Department of Ethics Education, known as the "Teacher of Moral Teachers," explores the five virtues of life—humility, gratitude, filial piety, trust, and honesty—as the "link of humanity" connecting you and me, through 50 questions ranging from "Why should we be humble?" to "Will artificial intelligence be honest?"
This book helps you think about, understand, and practice ethical virtues when faced with specific life situations. It guides you on the path to "adulthood" that embraces not only you and me, but even the harsh world.

In fact, one might question whether it is necessary to delve deeply into philosophical concepts of virtues that are familiar to us, such as humility or honesty.
Some people might ask, “Do people steal or lie because they don’t know that it’s wrong?”
We might think that our inability to live ethically is not because we don't know the good way and the bad way, but simply because we lack the will to practice a good life.
But knowing which way is the right way is not easy.
No matter how familiar a virtue is, if you don't know exactly what it is, it will be difficult to find a direction to cultivate and develop that virtue.
First, you need to know your destination so you can figure out how to get there.
And it is also very important to know 'why' such virtues are valuable.
If you don't understand the value of those virtues, you won't have the motivation to cultivate and develop them.
--- pp.6-7 From "Introduction"

Another thing to look for in relation to humility is being strict with yourself and generous with others.
We say that a person who is strict with himself, not easily satisfied, constantly striving, and striving upwards is humble.
But that's not necessarily the case.
Because treating yourself 'specially' in that way can also reveal an immature attitude.
Let's consider the case of the top student in the school.
For example, a student who is ranked first in the entire school is not satisfied with just one question on a test and becomes distressed, and whips himself by saying, "I have to do better."
At that time, Kim Geung-jeong, who usually gets 50 points, came to the suffering Ildeung and comforted him, saying, “It’s okay. Grades aren’t everything in life.”
But instead of being thankful, the suffering Ildeung says, “It’s okay for someone like you, but not me!”
While these people are not satisfied with themselves and strive to continually improve, they also tend to look down on others, see themselves as special, and hold themselves to even harsher standards. Couldn't this attitude actually be considered lacking humility? It's difficult to call this attitude of applying different standards to oneself and treating others differently humility.
--- pp.41-42 From "Chapter 1 Humility"

I propose the Three Principles as a practical guideline for living humbly yet confidently.
No matter what I do or where I go, my goal is to be ranked 3rd.
If you become obsessed with being number one, you will experience extreme stress in life, and even after achieving your goal, you will suffer from anxiety about not knowing when your position will be taken away.
The second place person looks at the back of the first place person's head with disgust, and it's easy to get hurt by jealousy, thinking, "If only he weren't here, I'd be first!"
But if you aim for 3rd place, you can work appropriately and hard, but the mental burden will be less.
They say bronze medalists are happier than silver medalists.
Someone might ask:
“Then why is it not ‘fourth classism’ or ‘fifth classism’ but ‘third classism’?” The spirit of third classism is contained in this very awareness of the problem.
In other words, the core of 'third-classism' is the realization that rank itself has no intrinsic value, and that if you live your life pursuing 'good things', there is no need to obsess over achieving 'better' than others.
--- pp.51

In virtuous gratitude, it is important to apply the 'principle of presumption of goodwill' even if the other person's intentions are not clearly known.
This is an attitude of assuming that the other person's intentions were good and not bad when their true intentions were not clearly revealed.
This principle is similar to the 'principle of presumption of innocence' used in court, which states that when it is not certain whether someone is guilty or not, we should first assume that they are not guilty.
The presumption of innocence is not because there is more evidence supporting the other party's innocence than the evidence pointing to guilt.
However, the principle of presumption of innocence exists because the wrong of treating an innocent person as a criminal is greater than the wrong of treating a guilty person as an innocent person.
Likewise, the principle of inferring goodwill is not just because people are more likely to be good or because there is more evidence to support it.
Just as it is just in law to presume a defendant is innocent when the evidence is insufficient, it may be virtuous to assume that a person's intentions are not malicious even when the mind is unknown.
--- pp.93-94 From "Chapter 2 Gratitude"

Unfortunately, as children grow older, parents become more and more frail and eventually become more and more dependent on their children.
There comes a time when we need to go beyond an equal relationship and take care of our parents as we were cared for when we were young.
We need to understand where they need help and provide them with strong support, taking good care of them both practically and mentally.
This is the time when it is important to have a grateful heart and not forget the kindness that has been bestowed upon us until we became adults.
It is also important to respect parents as autonomous beings, not simply as passive beings in need of care.
Even when parents become old and dependent on their children, allowing them to make independent choices is an important element of mature filial piety.
For example, in important situations such as medical decisions, it is necessary to respect your parents' wishes and try to reflect their opinions as much as possible.
--- pp.156-157 From “Chapter 3 Filial Piety”

Reliance based on knowledge about others lacks the unique beauty of trust, which allows us to take risks despite imperfect evidence.
Damon's attitude of trusting Phidias to the end and risking his life despite knowing that there was a possibility of betrayal resonates deeply with us.
But in fact, in the case of two beings with free will, perfect knowledge of each other is impossible.
For someone to be free means that their choices are entirely up to their own will, and it is impossible to know in advance what choices they will make.
If a person knows perfectly what to do, it means that he is not free.
Because only when something is determined and not free can knowledge of it be possible.
In that sense, there is a unique value and beauty in the trusting relationship between imperfect beings who cannot perfectly know each other.
--- pp.196-197 From “Chapter 4: Trust”

A person who has trust does not treat others with this kind of self-serving attitude.
For example, let's consider the case of Jun-sik and his wife Jeong-ah.
Jun-sik trusts that Jeong-ah will not cheat.
What is important is not only the action itself, but also the motivation behind the action.
Jun-sik believes that the fact that he trusts Jeong-ah and that she knows this will be enough reason for him not to betray her trust.
Jun-sik believes that Jeong-ah has shown him that she is trustworthy enough, and he no longer doubts her trustworthiness.
That's why, unlike Yi-jun, Jun-sik refuses even if someone offers to do background checks on Jeong-ah and install CCTV for free, saying, "I trust my wife."
--- pp.219-220


We all have a fundamental interest in pursuing truth, each in his own way, and living with our feet firmly planted on the ground of truth.
Consider the film "The Truman Show," for example. The protagonist believes he's living an ordinary life, but in reality, his life is a massive "hidden camera," unbeknownst to him, broadcast to the entire world.
No one would want to live in a world where everyone is deceiving themselves.
We have the right to live without being deceived and to pursue the truth in our own way.
In that sense, honesty can be said to be a virtue centered on respecting the other person's right not to be deceived.
We all want to live in touch with the truth.
How many people would wish their beliefs were false or would be deceived by someone? While it's possible to fear knowing the truth or regret it afterward, it's neither desirable nor possible to permanently turn away from it.
--- pp.245-246 From "Chapter 5 Honesty"

We can divide the self into the deceived and the deceived through psychological distinctions.
Simply put, it is dividing the mind in two and pushing different beliefs into each room.
We sometimes deceive ourselves unconsciously.
Let's take the example of a Nazi soldier.
If he thought a little deeper, he would realize how evil it was to put countless Jews in gas chambers and murder them.
But because he lacks the courage to face the pain that comes with recognizing this fact, he unconsciously ignores the evidence that proves the evil of his actions and begins to gather reasons to rationalize them.
'I am just a soldier following orders from above', 'Those people deserve to die because they did something so bad that it deserves to die', 'I am too tired today to think about anything else'.
By filling our minds with these thoughts, we try to ignore the fact that we can refuse genocide if we choose.
This attitude could also be called self-deception in a broad sense.

--- pp.285-286