From the Wasteland of Physics to New Paths of 'Metascience' and 'Whole Life'

Physicist Jang Hoe-ik recounts how his deep understanding of physics became a master key, unexpectedly unlocking the mysteries of life sciences. He recalls his initial disinterest in biology during middle school, finding it a subject of rote memorization rather than principle. However, his perspective shifted when he learned about the discovery of DNA's double helix structure and the involvement of physicists in this breakthrough. Though initially too busy with his doctoral research, a chance reading of a molecular biology book later revealed how his physics knowledge allowed him to grasp complex biological concepts with remarkable clarity, even visualizing underlying principles not explicitly stated in the text.

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The master key of the academic discipline of physics, as soon as I obtained it, I immediately realized how surprisingly it worked.

This realization spurred Jang's desire to tackle the "understanding of life" as a new challenge. He faced a crucial decision: return to South Korea with its then-poor research environment or remain in the United States, which offered superior academic opportunities and interaction with leading scholars. Despite the allure of advanced research infrastructure and prominent Korean physicists like Lee Wei-tsu making strides abroad, Jang chose to return to Korea in 1970. He was driven by a personal conviction that scholarship could be pursued even in isolation and a desire to dedicate himself to physics education and, more broadly, science education in his home country.

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This was a moment that showed that my physics knowledge had reached a stage suitable for understanding the newly emerging molecular biology, or in other words, that the master key I had painstakingly prepared was working properly.

Upon his return, Jang focused on science education, particularly the under-explored field of "metascience." While conventional science explores natural phenomena, metascience delves into the nature of scientific knowledge itself, offering a broader understanding of both nature and our cognitive activities. Jang believed this perspective was crucial for truly understanding physics and for effectively teaching it to students, as many find physics difficult not due to the phenomena themselves, but due to the abstract nature of its theories. He saw metascience as a path to developing insightful teaching methods and establishing his own academic niche, especially given the limited research infrastructure in Korea that made pursuing his previous research direction impractical.

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I believed that scholarship could be pursued even if I were alone.

Jang's pursuit of "understanding life" through the lens of physics, however, did not yield the definitive answers he sought. While molecular biology illuminated the structure and function of DNA, it failed to address the fundamental question of "what is life?" After nearly a decade of contemplation, Jang concluded that life does not reside within individual organisms like cells, rabbits, or humans. Instead, he proposed that these entities function as living beings only when they are integral parts of a larger, interconnected system, which he termed "whole life."

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These living organisms function as life only when they act as organic parts within a larger system called 'whole life,' not by themselves.