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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

A Philosopher’s Seed of Thought Grows Into a Dictionary That Reveals New Meanings Each Time

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • The Ecological Wisdom Concept Dictionary brings together 75 terms developed through collaboration among members of Korea’s Institute of Ecological Wisdom.
  • The project began with the ideas of late philosopher Shin Seung-cheol and involved 47 writers drawn from research, activism, art, religion and civic life.
  • Its creators describe the book as a postmodern dictionary whose meanings expand through dialogue rather than a conventional reference work.

A dictionary born from one philosopher’s ideas has become a collective work involving 47 writers and the shared thinking of more than 170 people. The Ecological Wisdom Concept Dictionary, published in late July by Aleph, gathers 75 terms linked to ecology, climate and alternative ways of living.

The project grew from the work of Shin Seung-cheol, a philosopher and researcher who died suddenly of an acute myocardial infarction in July 2023. Members of the Institute of Ecological Wisdom Cooperative, which Shin had led as director and chair, joined forces to complete a project he had already imagined during his lifetime. The book emerged through seminars, lectures and conversations involving researchers, activists, artists, religious figures and other citizens. Forty-seven people took part in writing it.

A life that does not separate alternative values and ways of living is possible without damaging our personality, values or dignity

· Shin Seung-cheolThe late philosopher’s belief forms part of the intellectual foundation for the ecological-wisdom project.

The dictionary ranges from relatively familiar terms such as commons, carbon tax and degrowth to philosophical concepts such as rhizome, encounter and ecological grief. It also includes highly abstract expressions, including “the infinite solidarity of the finite” and “local absoluteness.” The organizers say the book differs from an ordinary co-authored volume because its planning, writing and final editing all relied on collective intelligence.

Unlike a dictionary in the modern sense, this is a dictionary in a postmodern sense, where new meanings keep appearing and meanings become richer the more we speak

· Lee Seung-junThe institute chair explained why the book uses the dictionary form while departing from a conventional reference work.

The cooperative began in 2019, after concerns raised by the record heatwave of 2018. It sought to develop ecological wisdom beyond academic ecological philosophy, favoring provisional agreements, connections across concepts and open, changing networks of meaning. Members acknowledged that some of the institute’s concepts could be difficult for newcomers, including terms created or reinterpreted within the group.

A proposal to publish a “Shin Seung-cheol concept dictionary” came at a memorial festival marking the first anniversary of his death on June 29, 2024. Institute members rejected that title, saying Shin himself would likely have opposed it. They described him as a connector and facilitator who encouraged people to study and write together. The final book, they said, should represent the community of relationships and shared resources through which his thinking developed.

We did not write a biography of Shin Seung-cheol. We gathered the thoughts of the many philosophers, activists and artists who thought alongside him

· Hong Seung-haThe publishing committee chair described the book’s collective focus.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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