Introducing the revised and expanded edition
At the beginning of the book

Take a look… Our Eastern Philosophy
Confucius… What does man live by?
Lao Tzu… Treasure the treasures of life
Mozi… a shield that protects the weak
Zhuangzi… Endless stories of the vast spiritual world
Mencius… the watchman of Confucianism
Sunja… the Prometheus of the East
Legalism…Organizing and utilizing people
Aristocrats… People who broke common sense
Farmhouse… The farmer's eternal friend
The protagonist… the fortune teller and the philosopher
Looking back… the remaining stories

A book worth reading more of

How will we live and what will we do?
The essence of Eastern philosophy, which begins with the fundamental questions of life.

What is Eastern philosophy?
Unlike Western philosophy, which means love of wisdom, Chinese philosophy, which is generally called Eastern philosophy, is closer to Taoism in the strict sense.
Eastern philosophers, whose goal is to attain enlightenment, believed that what was needed to attain enlightenment was not wisdom but virtue through cultivation.
These ideas, which form the core of Eastern philosophy, were born during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and had a profound influence on forming the framework of Chinese culture.
Why did the so-called 'Hundred Schools of Thought' and 'Hundred Schools of Thought Contend' ideologies, which still exert influence to this day, emerge during this period?
And what did they mean?
This is the core message of Volume 1 of “Essays on Eastern Philosophy.”


The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were the most socially and politically turbulent periods in Chinese history.
In an attempt to correct the chaos of that turbulent period, several thinkers began to express their opinions.
The beginning was Confucius, who is considered one of the four greatest saints of the world along with Socrates, Jesus, and Buddha.
Confucius's thoughts have had a tremendous influence on humanity for over 2,500 years.
He is a representative of Confucianism, which led the cultural center of many East Asian countries, including our country.
The power of that idea still holds true.
Starting with him, the thinkers Lao-tzu, Mo-tzu, Zhuang-tzu, Mencius, and Xun-tzu presented their own practical philosophies, and the thoughts of the Legalists, Ming-tzu, Nong-tzu, and I Ching also exerted influence in each era.
The ultimate meaning they wanted to convey was only one thing: 'How should we live and what should we do?'
Their ideas are based on solid logic and a wealth of experience, along with a strong will to put them into practice.
This book is a must-read and a cultural resource for those who want to easily understand Eastern philosophy from a proper perspective, and to transform the space we live in together into a more livable place. It will serve as a foundation for mental training and a deeper understanding of those around us.


The revised and expanded edition of "Essays on Eastern Philosophy," a classic introduction to Eastern philosophy reborn as a series, has been published.

First published in 1993, the best-selling volume 1 of "Essays on Eastern Philosophy," which continues to be sought after by many readers even after more than 10 years, is now being republished as a series with the publication of Volume 2.
Volume 1 of "Essays on Eastern Philosophy," which was originally planned as an introductory book to Eastern philosophy for college freshmen and the general public, has gradually become a book enjoyed by middle and high school students as the age of its readers has gradually decreased, and it has become a book recommended by middle and high school teachers (e.g., recommended by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, recommended by Teachers Who Create a Warm World with Books).
In line with this trend, the revised edition of Volume 1 of “Essays on Eastern Philosophy” has undergone changes in editing and design.
The reason why "Essays on Eastern Philosophy" has been widely loved by not only the general public who want to get started on Eastern philosophy (more precisely, ancient Chinese philosophy), but also middle and high school students, is because of the authors' balanced perspective and friendly "lecture style."

In the book, the authors introduce the major ideas of the Hundred Schools of Thought, including Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Legalist, and the Book of Changes, which are deeply ingrained in our consciousness and lives but are not well known in detail, as well as the lesser-known Mozi, Mingjia, and Nongjia.
It introduces the socio-historical background that gave birth to an idea and the life of the person who played a central role in that idea.
It also explains the core arguments of the ideology and its contemporary significance, while pointing out the limitations and contradictions of the ideology from a modern perspective to avoid biased views.
In addition, the differences and similarities between each school of thought are discussed, such as Confucius and Mencius, Confucius and Laozi, Laozi and Zhuangzi, Confucius and Mozi, Mencius and Xu Xing (Nongjia), and Xunzi and Han Feizi (Legalist), and each school of thought is compared.
As you read each chapter, your prejudices such as "Oriental philosophy is boring and tedious" and "Eastern philosophy is mysterious and profound even if you don't know what it is" will gradually disappear, and you will come across a vivid philosophy of the "here and now," transcending 2,500 years of time.


Add to book
The chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period came from selfishness.
Selfishness inherently produces discriminatory love, and discriminatory love manifests itself in love for oneself, one's family, and one's country.
Mozi argued against war based on indiscriminate love, going against the wave of wars of aggression that arose due to the discriminatory love of the ruling class.
In fact, Mozi's opposition to war was the most realistic argument for realizing universal love.

But he felt that simply shouting against war was meaningless.
No matter how powerful a slogan is, it cannot keep up with small actions.
So the Mohist group directly participated in defensive wars against such wars and even created new weapons for defense.
Some scholars have called this aspect of the Mohist group a war contract for defensive warfare.

The main reason Mozi opposed war was that it was destructive, unproductive, and aimed at satisfying personal greed.
Mozi likened the ruling class that wages war under plausible pretexts to thieves.
He criticized that, unlike a thief who breaks into another's house and is punished, a big thief who invades another's country is praised.
He also said that if you kill one innocent person, you become a murderer, and if you kill ten people, you become a human butcher, but how can someone who starts a war and kills tens of thousands of people become a hero?
… …
Mozi formed a group to realize his dream and even fought against the strong.
But Mozi could not dream of revolution.
This point is separate from the fact that there are revolutionary elements in his thinking.
If Mohist acknowledges revolution by the oppressed classes, it would mean another war of aggression, and a war of aggression would be contrary to universal love, thus denying the most essential part of his own philosophy.
This is the internal factor that prevented Mozi's dream from coming true.

But the bigger cause seems to lie elsewhere.
Mozi's thought is not socialist, but it has many similarities with socialism.
We saw the collapse of socialist countries around 1990.
Socialism has been maintained on the basis of dedicated self-sacrifice and steadfast morality, emphasizing human social practice.
But there is another desire within human beings.
It is nothing but selfishness.
Socialism was sustained by strong organizational power and rational judgment, and experience and practice were the driving forces of that society.
But when cracks appeared in the organization and selfish desires penetrated those cracks, socialism was doomed to collapse.

Mozi also led the Mohist group into a steely formation by appealing to reason.
Of course, there was the outer shell of heaven's will, but the main driving force was the longing and dream for an ideal society, and this could be maintained by possessing both inner sincerity and outer repulsion.
In other words, the tight tension brought about strong unity.
However, the chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period could not last forever.
The end of chaos did not bring about the downfall of the ruling class, but rather strengthened it.
Mozi's philosophy, which lacked revolutionary theory, could no longer be sustained in this situation.
Moreover, there was no way that such a gap could be left open to selfish desires.
In the end, China's groundbreaking ideas from 2,500 years ago remained a dream.
(Pages 94-113)