A timeless "Book of Youth" that transcends time
A special expanded edition of Yoo Si-min's "Reading in Youth" has been published!

“Whenever I was afraid of the world, I asked them for directions.”
From "Crime and Punishment" to "On Liberty," Yoo Si-min rediscovers an old map.

★ 330,000 copies commemorative deluxe hardcover edition
★ Newly included manuscript of the 15th book, On Liberty, and the preface to the special edition

Yoo Si-min, an intellectual of our time, has served as a tranquilizer, offering clear insights in every turbulent political situation.
One of his representative works, 『Reading in Youth』, first published in 2009 and beloved for a long time, is now available to readers in a special expanded edition in high-quality hardcover.
A discussion of John Stuart Mill's On Liberty and a preface to the special expanded edition have been added.
The sentences were also revised overall.
"Reading in Youth" began when Yoo Si-min opened up old, worn books, wondering, "What if I reread the classics I read in my youth? Times have changed, I've gotten older, so wouldn't something be different?"
『Crime and Punishment』 that I discovered by chance in my father's study as a child, 『The Communist Manifesto』 that I secretly read while lying down under the dim light of the nightstand, 『The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum』 that reminded me of the heartbreaking end of former President Roh Moo-hyun, 『What is History』 that opened my eyes to a new way of looking at history, and 『On Liberty』 that reminded me of the value of freedom now that long after the 21st century has begun.
This book is the source of the passion that made Yoo Si-min a young man, and it also contains the answers to the questions that Yoo Si-min poses to himself and to us today.


"Why do people all want to be rich?", "Are humans inherently selfish?", "What does it mean to think with my own head?", "How are facts distorted?", and "How should we live?" Fifteen great books that have marked huge milestones in the history of civilization.
It contains the worries and answers of those who have lived before.
By following in their footsteps through "Reading in Youth," you will learn the wisdom to live today and have the thrilling experience of envisioning a better tomorrow.

『Reading of Youth』 is a 'slight' exception.
Although it deals with widely known classics, it was not written to convey information about the book.
I wrote this to express my own feelings and thoughts about life, people, the world, and history, which I gained while reading books.
It's not about the book itself, but about the act of reading it.
I was driven by a desire to 'express myself' rather than a desire to 'make the world a better place'.
I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Anyone would feel an attachment to a piece of writing that expresses their inner self.
--- From the "Preface to the Special Augmented Edition"

As I give this book to my beloved daughter, I want to say something.
The world is so big and wide that you won't be able to see it all until you die, and life is an indescribably beautiful blessing.
Humans were not born for this world, but came to live in this world, and there are many paths in life, none of which are of equal value.
And that you can find joy, fulfillment, and happiness in any path if you cultivate your humanity well.
--- From the "Preface to the First Edition"

“No matter how good the purpose, man cannot escape the mental suffering that comes from using evil means,” says Dostoevsky.
It is the law of life that if you commit a sin, you cannot escape punishment.
But this problem can also be viewed in another context.
To ask whether it is justifiable to use evil means to achieve good ends presupposes that good ends can be achieved by evil means.
But I do not accept this premise.
Before we consider its legitimacy, I believe that evil means never achieve good ends.
--- From "Chapter 1: Can One Great Person Save the World?"

What do intellectuals live by?
Teacher Lee Young-hee says:
Truth, truthfulness, endless reflection, and the belief and integrity to align perception and life.
The courage to endure hardship for the truth.
Intellectuals live with these things.
As I read the teacher's writing again, the teacher asks me a question.
--- From “Chapter 2: What Intellectuals Live By”

Since the beginning of time, all human-created powers have suppressed and restricted freedom of thought.
There was only a difference in degree.
I am happy to be reading the Communist Manifesto now without fear.
It's not that you can find the truth there.
Because we have the freedom to read books that contain errors.
--- From "Chapter 3: The Allure of Revolution That Shook Youth"

The emotion I feel while reading 『Essay on the Principle of Population』 again is fear.
We all live with various prejudices and stereotypes.
Since it is impossible to test and examine every common belief about everything in this world to see if it has logical and empirical validity, we have no choice but to accept, to a certain extent, commonly accepted ideas and ways of thinking.
So how different am I from Malthus?
Among the many common beliefs that support my beliefs, what I believe to be right, are there any false prejudices or stereotypes?
--- From "Chapter 4: Is Inequality an Inevitable Law of Nature?"

But why do we love this poem so much? When I read it, I feel a gentle wave crashing down from the bottom of my heart.
Perhaps, during the Japanese colonial period, someone translated it into Japanese and it touched the hearts of the Joseon people who were angry and sad about life.
Whatever Pushkin's intentions were, it's fascinating how someone's poetry can resonate so deeply with different peoples in different times.
The tsar's tyranny and the Japanese oppression were equally 'difficult days' and 'sad present'.
Our ancestors seem to have found great comfort and encouragement in Pushkin's poetry.
--- From "Chapter 5 Even if Life Deceives You"

It is often said that conservatives seek material gain and worldly advancement, but true conservatives seek values, not gain.
A true conservative anchors his identity within himself, not on a frontline battle against someone else.
Before criticizing others, reflect on yourself.
Even if no one recognizes you, you do not become discouraged, and you shine on your own even in the deepest darkness.
--- From "Chapter 6: Meeting a True Conservative"

Why did I read 『The Square』 back then?
It was because of the fame.
A novel that any intellectual who ponders the reality of their country and the future of their people must read at least once.
『The Square』 was a work with such a reputation.
What did I see in this novel then?
I'm just now realizing this as I look back at the parts that left a strong impression on me.
Aha, I see.
What I saw was only half.
The protagonist, Lee Myeong-jun, only saw one side of modern history.
The author must have only seen the mountain peaks drawn from one place and then turned around.
Is the beauty of a novel, not just of cultural assets, only seen to the extent that the reader understands it?
--- From "Chapter 7: The Desire of an Individual Who Cannot Belong Anywhere"

Politics is a great business.
It is the work of enduring the lowliness of a beast, fighting against bestial greed, and achieving the nobility of a saint.
--- From "Chapter 8: The Light and Shadow of the Power Struggle"

But the sight of Shukhov finishing two bowls of soup did not look humble at all.
It was a magnificent and sacred sight.
I think this was Solzhenitsyn himself.
I can't write something like this without experiencing it firsthand.
Reading this passage, I felt an uncontrollable animosity toward the Soviet political system and those in power who had imprisoned Shukhov in the camps.
I don't know if Solzhenitsyn intended this emotion to arise in his readers' hearts, but anyone who advocates human dignity will.
--- From Chapter 9, "Can Sadness Become Strength?"

I didn't read Darwin when I was young.
Just as I believed I knew the laws of population without having read An Essay on the Principle of Population, I thought I knew the theory of evolution without having read The Origin of Species.
I didn't feel like reading about Darwin because he was often mentioned alongside 'unpleasant names' like Thomas Malthus and Herbert Spencer.
I hated Malthus, who justified poverty and criticized poor relief, and I disliked Spencer, who sided with the socially strong with the concept of survival of the fittest.
I thought that the 'social Darwinism' or 'social Darwinism' they promoted was a shallow ideology that glorified the rich and the strong and rationalized inequality.
I thought that although the theory of evolution was a correct biological theory, it had a negative social impact.
In short, I didn't know much about Darwin.
--- From "Chapter 10: Are Humans Selfish Beings?"

I feel sorry for Veblen who lived a lonely life.
Although he left a will asking me not to write anything in memory of or in memory of him, I have no obligation to keep that will.
“Dr. Veblen, don’t live alone on your home planet.
And now that it's all in the past, Homo sapiens is a better species than you thought.”
--- From Chapter 11, “Why Do We Want to Be Rich?”

‘Fundamental change’ is a beautiful dream.
However, this does not mean that partial and gradual improvements that do not reach that level should be criticized as being ugly or meaningless.
If we do that, no one will be able to challenge us to make a change.
Because we all know how difficult it is to bring about ‘fundamental change.’
--- From "Chapter 12: Why Poverty Does Not Eradicate Even With the Advancement of Civilization"

We have to live breathing information that we don't know is true, drinking in distortions and lies.
So, I can't help but be suspicious.
Are the thoughts I have really my own?
--- From Chapter 13, Are My Thoughts Really My Thoughts?

If you follow Ranke, your life will be comfortable.
There is no progress in history, and all eras have equal value.
There is no need to think about opening a new era.
The era you live in has equal value to all other eras, so just accept reality and live with it.
It is no coincidence that when the Japanese colonial government pursued the distortion of history that belittled and denigrated our national history, the historians of the 'Jindan Society' who collaborated with them upheld Ranke while advocating for 'positivist history.'
EH
After reading Karl, I said goodbye to Ranke.
A dark cloud hung over my life.
--- From Chapter 14, "Can We Believe in the Progress of History?"

Mill comforted and encouraged us in a book he wrote back in 1859.
To those who have endured and overcome the anger, pain, and absurdity since electing a fool as president, to the citizens who blocked the martial law troops in the National Assembly on the night of martial law, to the young people who created the miracle of Namtaeryeong, to the men, women, and children who spent the night in front of the Constitutional Court in the blizzard, I want to express my infinite gratitude.
If the philosopher John Stuart Mill were to see us today, he would say:
“You have shown us the source of all that is worthy of human pride.
You can be proud of yourself.
“You deserve it.”

--- From "Chapter 15: The Prophecy of 21st Century Civilization"