This book is a compilation of numerous books, mainly those on the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences of Joseon before the Two Wars.
Modern people who have been baptized in modern science tend to belittle the level of science in the Joseon Dynasty.
However, Joseon scholars tried to understand nature in their own way, and traces of their efforts can be seen in their books.
People construct the world around themselves.
Time and space are intertwined around me.
My purpose in life is to live my life well.
To live a good life, I study history, read literature, and understand and utilize the principles of science, technology, and civilization.
To live my life well, I study human psychology in general and look into my inner self.
And a society and a nation are communities of individuals who try to live their lives well.
All traces of life that occur in a community become culture through the test of time.
A culture that takes on a certain form determines the lives of individuals within a community and is dialectically sublated when challenged by new cultural aspects.
People in the Joseon Dynasty also tried to live their lives well.
The reason we look into Joseon culture is to interpret our own culture by using Joseon culture as a mirror.
The book contains the culture that the people of the Joseon Dynasty developed.

1.
The law of nature

“If the principles of all things in heaven and earth were scattered in ten thousand different ways, they would not be able to come together as one, but if they were rooted in one fundamental principle, they could pursue its mystery to the end.
Before the chaos and creation, heaven and earth were not divided, people and things did not come into being, everything was condensed and mixed together, and clarity and turbidity were not differentiated, so it seems that the principle was not complete, but in fact, it has never been complete.
“The reason why heaven and earth are heaven and earth, and why people and things are people and things, is because they all do not escape the profound principle of becoming yin and then becoming yang.”
-From the principles of the world and the strategies of Imun

“The root of countless natural changes is simply one energy moving in yin and yang.
The movement of Qi becomes Yang, and stillness becomes Yin.
The alternation of movement and stillness is Qi, and the principle that causes this action is reason.
Among all the natural phenomena that appear between heaven and earth, some are formed by the gathering of the right energy of the five elements, while others are formed by the distorted energy of heaven and earth.
Or, there are phenomena that arise from the collision of yin and yang, and there are also phenomena that arise from the divergence of two energies.
So the sun, moon, stars, and constellations hang in the sky, rain, snow, frost, and dew fall to the ground, wind and clouds arise, thunder and lightning strike, and all these natural phenomena are energy, and the cause of all these natural phenomena is reason.

-From the Cheondo Book, Joseon's Natural Science, and Yi Yi's Countermeasures

“All things are made up of the Five Elements, and the Five Elements are nothing but yin and yang, and yin and yang are the Supreme Ultimate.
Taegeuk is also a name that was given forcibly.
The principle of all things taking shape is called the Book of Changes, the principle of manifestation is called the Way, and the action of that principle is called God.
For this reason, there are the natural karma of heaven and earth, the karma of Fuxi, the karma of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, and the karma of Confucius. … … The karma is the principle that determines good and bad fortune and creates great undertakings.
Good and bad omens must be consulted through fortune telling, but generally speaking, human schemes cannot be without intention, and if there is intention, it is impossible to avoid selfishness.
For this reason, the ancient sage kings, even though they established the ultimate laws of the empire, did not dare to say that they were right themselves, and when there was a major issue in the country, they would consult the will of ghosts and make decisions based on questionable facts.
“The reason why we must appoint a fortune teller to tell our fortunes is to purify our body and mind so that we can listen to the commands of heaven.”
-What is dynamics, from Lee's countermeasures

“The human body is a fortress of the soul and spirit.
Hon is the god of energy and Baek is the god of justice.
When a person is alive, he spreads out and becomes a god, and when he dies, he withdraws and becomes an ear.
When the spirit energy rises to the sky and the pure energy returns to the earth, the energy disperses… … All things in the world exist or do not exist, but the ghosts that become after a person dies cannot be said to exist or not.
Why is that? If there is sincerity, God will appear accordingly, so we can say that He exists. If there is no sincerity, God will not appear, so we can say that He does not exist.
So, how can the existence or non-existence of God not be determined by humans?”
-On life and death, ghosts, from Lee Yi's countermeasures

“It is the law of heaven that one vital energy constantly moves and changes, giving birth to all things through the principle of yang and maturing all things through the principle of yin.
It is the duty of man to follow the dictates of heaven, to conform to the workings of yin and yang, to observe astronomy above and geography below, and to silently conform to the harmony of nature.
So, the saint inherited the way of heaven and established the standard of India, regulating the order of the four seasons and dividing them into seasons.
This is how the books on the calendar and the names of the holidays came to be.”
-What is the season like? Among Lee's countermeasures

“If we are to speak of the way for man to follow Heaven, it cannot be found anywhere else, but only in humanity.
When one flows, what is bestowed upon time is called spring, and what is bestowed upon a person is called humanity. What is bestowed upon time is spring in a person, and what is bestowed upon a person is humanity in a person, and what is bestowed upon time is spring in a person.
“If you gain humanity, you will be in harmony with spring, and if you lose humanity, you will be in opposition to spring. If you are in harmony with spring, a gentle energy will arrive and all things will grow, but if you are in opposition to spring, a fierce energy will arrive and all kinds of disasters will occur.”
- Asking the meaning of spring, from Yun Seon-do's countermeasures

2.
People and Culture

“When Heaven gave birth to the people, it bestowed upon everyone the nature of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, and the ethics of ruler and subject, parents and children, and husband and wife are contained therein.
A person who can fully develop his or her own nature and follow the principles of duty is a visionary.
However, ordinary people are not like that, and are bound by the temperament they were given and are blinded by material desires, so they do not know that their nature is inherent and that they have a duty that they should naturally perform as humans.
So, it is rare to find someone who does not act selfishly and fall to the level of an animal.
For this reason, only after learning from the wise can one develop one's original intelligence and return to the path of nature.
This is why the Master's Way arose.
“If you lead, support, teach, guide, open doors, enlighten, and enable them to achieve, making those who do not know how to be filial to be filial, and those who do not know how to be loyal to be loyal, how can there be any greater achievement than this in the way of a teacher?”
-From the Master's Path, the Standard's Measures

“Since ancient times, when public morality is practiced in the court, good and evil can be distinguished, and rewards and punishments can be carried out in a natural manner.
If public opinion is not exercised in the court, public opinion is blocked and public opinion cannot be gathered, which ultimately leads to confusion in value judgments of right and wrong, good and bad.
“If the state of affairs of the world reaches this point, the chaos will be indescribable.”
The standard for value judgment, among Kim Ui-jeong's measures

“The essence of poetry is that it is rooted in character and expressed through language.
Therefore, a person with a rich foundation has gentle and upright expressions.
A person who is frivolous and impatient is flashy in his expression and only shows flashiness on the outside.
“If the roots are deep, the branches will be lush, and if the body is large, the voice will be loud.”
Among the countermeasures of Yi Hwang, a poet who sang of the fundamental nature of humanity

“Poetry is the outward expression of human voices in sentences.
Since the heavens laid down the laws of all things, there is a principle of value and judgment, and since people are born with a personality, they have emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
“When we come into contact with an object and a reaction occurs in our mind, we each have our own thoughts, and as our thoughts accumulate, sounds and melodies inevitably emerge naturally, flowing out into the language of our daily lives.”
Among the countermeasures of Song Gi-su, a poet who sang about the fundamental nature of humanity

“The official who took up the pen did not know the importance of the task entrusted to him and lost sight of the most just path. When he wrote down words, he sometimes left out the facts, and when he wrote down things, he sometimes omitted the truth.
“Because these value judgments fail to reflect reality, the very essence of a fair history book has been lost.”
The mindset for recording history, from Hwang Jun-ryang's countermeasures

“A person who becomes an officer must have talent, and even if he has talent, he must follow the path straight.
If the Way were upright, how could anyone fear men and Heaven, shirk their responsibilities, or vacate their positions? Even the most subtle of the words and deeds of rulers and subjects would not escape the records of historians, and the customs of the land would reveal all the facts in their entirety. Great justice and public opinion would shine like the sun and stars throughout the boundless universe and the eternal heavens and earth.
The mindset for recording history, from Park Seung-im's countermeasures

“Your Majesty, please lecture on learning to rectify your mind, and with your mind rectified, conduct politics.
Appoint upright, honest, and upright people to assist you; reward the humble and upright to promote good customs; value literary talent and emphasize skill and insight.
Then, scholars with integrity, honesty, and a strong spirit will gather in the court, helping the king to strengthen the foundation of enlightenment and education, and helping the ruler and teachers to lead and educate the people.”
How to correct the scholar's spirit, from Jeongcheol's countermeasures

3.
Politics and Society

“You must cultivate virtue in your heart and conduct politics with virtue.
There is no one who has not acquired virtue in his heart and has yet been able to apply it to politics.
The old king knew the reason.
So, in order to bring peace to the world, he first governed his country; in order to govern his country, he first governed his household; in order to govern his household, he first cultivated himself; and in order to cultivate his body, he first rectified his mind.
“I have never once in my life not given my heart to this process.”
Is the progress of history determined? Among the countermeasures of this song

“The people have plenty to eat, taxes and tributes are evenly distributed, and there are no robbers—these three are all conditions for the people to live comfortably in the countryside.
And the point is whether the leader is competent or not. … … It is said that the mind is the source of all change and the foundation of politics.
So how can the governance and chaos of the country, and the joys and sorrows of the people, exist outside the single mind of the king?”
Among the measures to make the people live well,

“A person who becomes a judge (Minister of Criminal Justice) must be sincere in making clear judgments.
A person who becomes the Minister of Culture must be sincere in maintaining an honest and gentle demeanor.
The Minister of Agriculture should be diligent in promoting agriculture in a timely manner.
Those responsible for educating the people must be diligent in generously spreading the teachings of the five moral virtues.
If the barbarians on all sides do not submit, we must think of a way to make them come to us on their own.
If there are people shivering in the cold and starving, we must think of ways to clothe and feed them.”
Among the things a prime minister must have, measures to deal with interest

“Courtesy arises from the public sentiment, is formed from courtesy and frugality, is revealed through moderation and decoration, and is damaged by extravagance and excess.
The so-called politeness and frugality are inherent virtues rooted in nature and contain the principles of nature.
So-called extravagance and excess are desires born from objects, and are the result of human desires reacting with the outside world.
Because desires that arise from external influences can easily violate moral principles, adults must use moderation and decoration as tools for practicing etiquette to discipline the minds of the people and establish norms. … … However, it is easy to move from frugality to luxury, but difficult to move from luxury to frugality.
Therefore, the superior must first personally practice the fundamental principles of education and make the hearts of the people good, and then the people will naturally recover their original nature.”
To change the extravagant trend into a frugal trend, among Na Se-chan's countermeasures,

“Now, people have lost all sense of shame and are using bribes to get positions, so they find people before the appointment documents are even issued.
So, shouldn't we first strictly establish the foundation for the cultivation of the spirit and clear the path for selecting officials? With the disappearance of the old customs, the duties of a teacher and a disciple have been lost. The study of righteousness is no longer taught, and the doctrine of public opinion grows more and more prevalent. Scholars don't study and question the classics, while teachers simply empty the granary. There's a joke about this.
So, how can we fail to first establish the right source of power and fulfill our military responsibilities? The public road is obscured and destroyed, and the tide of the seas is rising, and the soldiers' bloodshed and military spirit are paralyzed by the bribery of the powerful.
So, can we first clear the root of the spirit and prevent the path of giving and receiving bribes?”
How to Reform Corruption, by Hwang Jun-ryang

“It is up to the superiors to understand the situation of the technicians, and it is the responsibility of the subordinates to be faithful to their service.
If the superior takes good care of the circumstances of the subordinate, the subordinate will faithfully follow the orders of the superior.
The best way to understand the circumstances of your subordinates is to pay them enough so that they can live comfortably and to make their labor appropriate to their needs.”
Among Yang Eung-jeong's measures to bring together technicians and make the country prosperous,

“To build a great house, you must use good lumber, and to establish a political system, you must employ excellent talent.
“Because it is people who rule over the people on behalf of Heaven from above, and it is also people who govern various governments together.”
How to cultivate talent, from Hong Seong-min's plan

“The Chinese people circulate coins and currency, so that each person is supplied with daily necessities and every household is affluent.
The foolish people of our country, unable to circulate currency, end up living in misery and poverty.
The reason one side is rich and the other side is poor is not because the land is different.
“If there is no difference between diligence and laziness in imposing and collecting taxes, it is necessarily because the way to manage wealth and enrich the people is not properly carried out.”
Among the pros and cons of the monetary system and the measures taken by Kwon Deuk-gi

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