Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Review of The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Series Collection = The Three-Body Problem


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“By an overwhelming majority, a special session of the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring Escapism a violation of international law.  In strong language, the resolution condemned the division and turmoil that Escapism has created within human society, and described Escapism as a crime against humanity in the eyes of international law.  The resolution called on member states to enact legislation as soon as possible to put a stop to Escapism.” – Cixin Liu, Chapter: Year 3, Crisis Era, Page 374

 

“It took just an instant for Luo Ji to comprehend the true nature of his status as Wallfacer.  Like Say had said, before the mission was handed down, the ones who would undertake it could not have been consulted.  And once the Wallfacer mission and identity were granted, they could not be refused or abandoned.  This impossibility was not due to any individual’s coercion, but because cold logic, as determined by the project’s very nature, meant that once someone became a Wallfacer, an invisible and impenetrable screen was immediately thrown up between them and ordinary people that made their every action significant.” – Cixin Liu, Chapter: Year 3, Crisis Era, Page 424

 

“The Wallfacers were subject to increasing scrutiny from the community.  Whether they had asked for the role or not, they had been set up in the eyes of the masses as messiah figures.  Accordingly, a Wallfacer cult sprang up.  No matter how many explanations the UN and PDC issued, legends of their supernatural abilities circulated widely and grew increasingly fanciful.  In science fiction movies, they were shown as superheroes, and, in the eyes of many, they were the sole hope for humanity.  This gave the Wallfacers an enormous amount of popular and political capital that guaranteed things would go smoothly when they tapped huge amounts of resources.” – Cixin Liu, Chapter: Year 8, Crisis Era, Page 483


Review

Is This An Overview?

The Trisolarans are heading to Earth, with ill intent towards humankind.  Trisolaran technology is far advanced compared to what humans have, but during the time it would take the Trisolarans to reach Earth, humans have the potential to develop more advanced technology compared to what Trisolarans have.  A potential nullified by Trisolaran sophon technology, that is used to prevent humans from understanding physics, from gaining more knowledge about how reality works.  This limits human technology to developments using knowledge already possessed.  Sophons have another function, to inform the Trisolarans of everything that humans are doing and saying.  The threat posed by the Trisolarans changes human society.  Governments and economies change their priorities, people suffer from psychological turmoil.  Various methods are proposed to handle the threats. 

 

A limit to the sophons, is their inability to know what someone is thinking.  Humans create the Wallfacer Project to take advantage of the secrets people carry in their thoughts.  The Wallfacers are four individuals chosen to think of a plan without explaining to others what the plan is.  Nobody can know what the Wallfacers are actually thinking.  With minor limitations, whatever the Wallfacers want, others have to find a way to obtain what they want.  The Wallfacers come from different backgrounds and begin to think of methods to overcome the Trisolaran threat.  The Wallfacers are treated as saviors of humankind. 

 

While there are those wanting humans to overcome the Trisolaran threat, leading to support for the Wallfacer methods.  There are humans who have allied themselves to the Trisolarans, and want the Trisolarans to succeed.  The Trisolaran human allies find a Wallbreaker for each Wallfacer.  The Wallbreakers’ task is to expose the plan that the Wallfacers have in their thoughts.  Can the Wallfacers find a method to save humanity or will the Wallbreakers succeed in reading the Wallfacers thoughts?

 

Caveats?

This book not only requires readers to have some familiarity with science, but the reader also has to become an investigator.  The reader has to become a Wallbreaker, to continuously try to figure out the Wallfacers plan.  This book is filled with events that appear to have insignificant consequences, obvious consequences, or random behavior, which can have drastic consequences for the future of humanity, and have different reasons and outcomes than expected.  The variety of events can make it difficult to understand how they coalesce, and the variety of perspectives can be difficult to keep track of.

 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What is cosmic sociology?  What are the axioms of cosmic sociology? 
•Is there a difference between thinking and saying?
•What is the difference between how the Trisolarans share thoughts and how humans share thoughts?
•How do the Trisolarans use disguises?
•What is a sophon and what are they capable of?
•What are the options do humans present to handle the Trisolarans?
•What are the Escapism plans?
•What happens to the Escapism plans and who does the outcome benefit?
•Who are the Wallfacers and what do they do?
•How do the Wallfacers carry out their plans?
•How does the world react to the Wallfacers?
•Who is Frederick Tyler?
•Who is Manuel Rey Diaz?
•Who is Bill Hines?
•Who is Keiko Yamasuki?
•Who is Luo Ji?
•Does Luo Ji have a mental health problem when trying to write a love story?
•Who is Shi Qiang (Da Shi)?
•Who is Zhang Beihai? 
•What did General Chang Weisi think of Zhang Beihai?
•How has the spirit of armies changed over time? 
•When will the Trisolarans travel to Earth?
•How big is the Trisolaran Fleet and what happens to it?
•What is the Doomsday Battle?
•What is hibernation and why is it used?
•What weapons are thought to be available in the future? 
•What is the outcome of the ETO?
•What is the Planetary Defense Council (PDC)?
•Why is everyone getting a flue with mild symptoms?
•Can thought be controlled?
•What is the Faith Center?
•What is the defeatist mentality?  How do people respond to defeatism? 
•What does the future look like?  Specifically Crisis Era year 205?
•What is the government structure of Crisis Era year 205?
•What was the Great Ravine?
•Can there be peace talks with the Trisolarans?
•What are human spacecrafts cable of?
•How have humans adapted to space?
•What happens to Luo Ji after hibernation?
•What is Killer 5.2?
•What is a distributed command system and a centralized command system?
•What happens aboard the Natural Selection?
•What is the Trisolaran probe?
•What do humans think about the Trisolaran probe before contact with the probe?
•What was the formation of the human fleet when reaching the probe?
•What happens when the human contact the Trisolaran probe?
•What happened to the Quantum spaceship?
•What happened to Starship Earth?
•What is the Dark Forest?
•What happens to the Earth and Trisolarans?


Book Details
Translator:              Joel Martinsen
Original Language: Mandarin
Translated Into:       English
Publisher:               A Tor Book [Tom Doherty Associates]
Edition ISBN:         9780765397485
Pages to read:          419
Publication:             2017
1st Edition:              2008
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Saturday, November 2, 2024

Review of The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (03/15/2025)
Series Collection = The Three-Body Problem
Intriguing Connections = 1) What Makes Science A Science?, 2) Once Upon A Future


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“Then, some of them entered a third stage.  The constant, unceasing struggle sessions injected vivid political images into their consciousness like mercury, until their minds, erected upon knowledge and rationality, collapsed under the assault.  They began to really believe that they were guilty, to see how they had harmed the great cause of the revolution.  They cried, and their repentance was far deeper and more sincere than that of those Monsters and Demons who were not intellectuals.” – Cixin Liu, Chapter 1: The Madness Years, Page 10

 

“”These high-energy particle accelerators raised the amount of energy available for colliding particles by an order of magnitude, to a level never before achieved by the human race.  Yet, with the new equipment, the same particles, the same energy levels, and the same experimental parameters would yield different results.  Not only would the results vary if different accelerators were used, but even with the same accelerator, experiments performed at different times would give different results.  Physicists panicked.  They repeated the ultra-high-energy collision experiments again and again using the same conditions, but every time the result was different, and there seemed to be no pattern.”” – Cixin Liu, Chapter 5: A Game of Pool, Page 60

 

Can the fundamental nature of matter really be lawlessness?  Can the stability and order of the world be but a temporary dynamic equilibrium achieved in a corner of the universe, a short-lived eddy in a chaotic current?” – Cixin Liu, Chapter, Page 61


Review

Is This An Overview?

The world of science is being threatened.  During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, science became antagonistic to political favor.  Ye Wenjie is a scientist who survived the persecution by being politically cautious.  But events conspire to make Ye Wenjie a target of the politicians, only to find sanctuary in an isolated political radio base.  A base which was claimed to be used for military applications.  As scientists were in short supply, Ye Wenjie had the required skills that were needed to maintain, operate, and develop the technology. 

 

Decades later, with persecution of scientists through the Cultural Revolution a harsh but distant memory, science has advanced tremendously.  But science seems again to be under threat, as scientists are dying with an increase in crime against academia and research institutions.  There does not seem to be a political motivation for the acts.  What defines science is also under threat, for the methods of science are failing.  Science depends on replication, that the results of an event will be repeated given the same conditions.  But even with advanced technology of participle colliders, different results occur with the same conditions.

 

Wang Miao is a scientist who is asked to participate in a group from which many of the dead scientists have been associated with.  Through the investigation, Wang Miao comes across a game that the scientists play, called 3 Body.  The game is extremely immersive, with the goal of predicting events.  Within the game, civilizations develop during Stable Eras and fall during Chaotic Eras.  The eras can change quickly, with the world undergoing seemingly random and extreme changes.  How are the events of the Cultural Revolution, the death of scientists decades later, and the 3 Body game related?

 

Caveats?

There is a plethora of science terminology in the book.  Written in a way that blends the science and science fiction which makes it difficult to separate when the science ends and the science fiction begins.  There are sections filled with science terminology, ideas, and people involved.  If a reader has a background in various science fields, the science references can add depth to understanding the situations being presented.  Without the science background, the sections can be difficult and confusing to read.

 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•What happened during the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
•How were scientists treated during the Cultural Revolution?
•How did people survive the Cultural Revolution? 
•What is a struggle session?
•Why repent? 
•What are the mental stages?
•What happened to Ye Zhetai and Shao Lin?
•What happened to the four female Red Guards that Ye Wenjie was searching for?
•How did Marxism effect China?
•How did people defend socialism? 
•Who is Ye Wenjie?
•How did Bai Mulin effect Ye Wenjie?
•What did people outside think of what happened inside Radar Peak?
•What actually happened in Radar Peak?
•How did Radar Peak effect the ecosystem around the base?
•How was Ye Wenjie treated at Red Coast I?
•Who is Shi Qiang (Da Shi)?
•What is Wang Miao working on?
•What team (PLA) is General Chang leading, and for what purpose? 
•What is the team’s (PLA) combat zone?  Who are the enemy? 
•How are scientist under attack decades after the Cultural Revolution?
•What is the Frontiers of Science? 
•How does the pool table reflect the situation in science?
•What did the particle colliders show? 
•What does the abbreviation ‘SF’ stand for?
•What do the numbers that Wang Miao sees mean?
•What is a V-Suit? 
•Who is Wei Cheng?
•Who is Shen Yufei?
•Who or what is the Lord spoken of?  What Lord does Shen Yufei asked Buddha to help?
•What advice does Shen Yufei give to Wang Miao? 
•What is the purpose of the game, 3 Body?
•Who are the characters of the game?
•What civilizations are present in the game?  What are the features of people?
•What information does Wang Miao find from the 3 Body game?
•Who is Pan Han? 
•Can the universe flicker? 
•Who are the Adventists and Redemptionists? 
•Who are the Trisolarans?
•What choice do the Trisolarans make?
•What is Judgment Day?
•Who is Mike Evans?
•How can the sun be used?
•How can nanotechnology be used?
•What happens during the last ETO meeting that Wang participated in?
•Who joins the ETO?
•What is Pan-Species Communism? 
•How did The Second Red Coast Base get built?
•What information did the Trisolarans communicate?
•What are the Sophons and what is their purpose? 
•What happens to bugs?


Book Details
Translator:              Ken Liu
Original Language: Mandarin
Translated Into:       English
Publisher:               A Tor Book [Tom Doherty Associates]
Edition ISBN:         9780765397485
Pages to read:          316
Publication:             2017
1st Edition:              2006
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Review of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (02/15/2025)



Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“The cobalt found in the dirt here provides maximum stability and energy density to rechargeable batteries, allowing them to hold more charge and operate safely for longer periods.  Remove cobalt from the battery, and you will have to plug in your smartphone or electric vehicle much more often, and before long, the batteries may very well catch on fire.  There is no known deposit of cobalt-containing ore anywhere in the world that is larger, more accessible, and higher grade than the cobalt under Kolwezi.” – Siddharth Kara, Chapter 1: “Unspeakable Richness”, Page 20

 

“The developments that sparked demand for each resource attracted a new wave of treasure seekers.  At no point in their history have the Congolese people benefited in any meaningful way from the monetization of their country’s resources.  Rather, they have often served as a slave labor force for the extraction of those resources at minimum cost and maximum suffering.” – Siddharth Kara, Chapter 1: “Unspeakable Richness”, Page 22

 

“Mobutu remained in power for decades, despite overt corruption, by embracing the U.S. cause against communism, which brought him the unwavering support of Presidents Nixon, Bush, Reagan, and Clinton.  Katanga’s minerals flowed to the West, and the proceeds flowed into Mobutu’s bank accounts.  However, that which Katanga gives, it can also take away.” – Siddharth Kara, Chapter 5: Colony to the World, Page 114


Review

Is This An Overview?

Cobalt is a rare resource used in electronic technologies to make devices hold more charge and operate safely for longer.  As societies are transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, cobalt is a resource needed to satisfy sustainability goals.  Cobalt is most abundant, in Congo.  Congo contains the largest concentration of accessible and high-grade cobalt.  Congo has cobalt and a variety of valuable resources, which are in demand by foreign powers.  An abundance of resources, which has been severely exploited. 

 

Cobalt is mined through coerced labor, which involves children.  The people work in hazardous conditions, using rudimentary tools.  Barely paid for the effort and risk taken.  The wealth from the resources partly goes to corrupt officials, but most of the wealth goes to foreign companies.  The wealth is not being used to improve the conditions of the people.  The miners do not have negotiating power to ask for appropriate wages, or working conditions.  The people do not want to speak against the practices, for fear of violent reprisals.  The use of sustainable electronic devices is powered by the human and environmental catastrophe in Congo. 

 

No company or government is taking responsibility for the negative consequences of mining.  No company wants the inappropriate practices.  They claim that they are committed to high standards in their supply chain, promote the responsible sourcing of resources, and uphold international human rights.  They claim to send support to prevent the terrible conditions, but no sufficient efforts have been made to ameliorate the conditions.

 

What Is Congo’s Political Situation?

Through the independence movement in 1960, Congo democratically elected a prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.  Through Lumumba, the Congolese were going to gain sovereignty, to enable the resources to benefit the people rather than foreign powers.  Various foreign interests conspired to remove Lumumba, and install Joseph Mobutu.  Mobutu supported foreign power interests.  Foreign powers got resources, with Mobutu receiving the income.

 

How Does China Effect Congo?

China has been making infrastructure-for-resources agreements across the African continent.  Even though the infrastructure is low quality without social considerations to the location of the infrastructure, the Congo leaders such as Kabila have benefited financially from the agreements.  The cobalt is refined in China, because Congo does not have sufficient electricity capacity to refine cobalt.

 

As of 2021, the ownership of 15 of 19 mining companies are Chinese.  The mining sites have their own armed units, military contractors, and informal militias.  They keep minerals secure and prevent prying eyes.    

 

Caveats?

Although a short history of Congo and Congolese political situation is provided, the focus of the book is on the mining industry.  To understand the variety of conflicts in Congo, and life outside the mining industry would require more research.

 

Most of the book tries to capture the individual, human suffering.  As that information tends to be more emotional, which is often assumed to make people change their behavior.  As tragic as the human suffering is, the narrative can become repetitive.    


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•How can cobalt be used?
•How has cobalt been used historically?
•What resources are found in the Congo?
•How are cobalt and other resources extracted from the Congo? 
•Who mines the cobalt?
•By what conditions is cobalt mined?
•Where is cobalt refined? 
•What do technology companies think of the mining conditions?
•Who owns the mining companies?
•What support does Congo receive from companies wanting responsible sourced resources? 
•Who are the artisanal (ASM) miners? 
•What negotiating power do artisanal miners have?
•What information is allowed to be shared by the miners? 
•How is the wealth from the resources used? 
•How did Patrice Lumumba effect Congo?
•How did Joseph Mobutu effect Congo? 
•How did King Leopold II effect Congo?
•How does an Indian pullulation effect Congo?
•How does China effect Congo? 
•How were African working conditions hidden from the England’s public in the 18th century?
•What is the history of electric cars?
•What is the effect of the transportation fees from cobalt? 
•What happened to CHEMAF site?


Book Details
Edition:                   First St. Martin's Griffin Edition
Publisher:               St. Martin's Griffin {St. Martin's Publishing Group}
Edition ISBN:         9781250284297
Pages to read:          230
Publication:             2024
1st Edition:              2023
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          5
Overall          5






Thursday, October 24, 2024

Review of Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Sociology
Book Club Event = Book List (02/22/2025)
Intriguing Connections = 1) The Persecuted and The Persecutors




Watch Review


Excerpts

“In the real world, there is seldom anything resembling the equal outcomes that might be expected if all factors affecting outcomes were the same for everyone.  Even in a society with equal opportunity – in the sense of judging each individual by the same standards – people from different backgrounds do not necessarily even want to do the same things, much less invest their time and energies into developing the same kinds of skills and talents.” – Thomas Sowell, Chapter 1: “Equal Chances” Fallacies, Page 9

 

“The fundamental issue is not whether employer discrimination – or societal discrimination in general – can be a cause of different economic and social outcomes among racial or ethnic groups.  It can be, it has been, and there is no reason whatever to preclude it from the possibilities in our own times.  But there is also no reason to preclude any of the many other factors that have also produced outcome disparities among all sorts of groups, around the world and throughout recorded history.” – Thomas Sowell, Chapter 2: Racial Fallacies, Page 30

 

“Politicians do learn.  They learn what is politically effective, and what they do is not a mistake politically, despite how disastrous such policies may turn out to be for the country.  What can be a mistake politically is to assume that particular ideals – including social justice – can be something that society can just ‘arrange,’ through government, without considering the particular patterns of incentives and constraints inherent in the institution of government.” – Thomas Sowell, Chapter 3: Chess Pieces Fallacies, Page 63


Review

Is This An Overview?

There are many factors that create disparities between people.  Human bias that is part of discrimination is a single factor, among many factors.  Discrimination does not have a monopoly on creating disparities or even always a dominant factor, as there are many factors that influence human achievement.  There have been societies with industries dominated by ethnic minorities, who did not control politics or other social aspects.  People with the same skill sets, do not necessarily want the same things, do not want the same outcomes.  As people do have different skills, different people and groups can excel in some achievements while lag in others. 

 

Nature itself is not egalitarian, as resources are not distributed equally between political boundaries.  Knowledge can be used to transform nature, but not all societies have equal access to the same information.  Geographically linked people have more access to information and develop faster than geographically isolated people.  Even with access to information, cultures need to be receptive to different ideas to make use of the information.  Not all cultures are receptive to different ideas.

 

What Can Be Done About The Disparities?

Social justice activists may want to fix social problems, but that does not mean their claims and policies achieve their goals.  Intervention in society is claimed by social justice activists as needed to ameliorate the problems, but they can fail to share supporting evidence that intervention is needed.  Social justice activists tend to hide evidence of how the problem they sought to ameliorate was ameliorating before their intervention, and do not share evidence of the problem being exacerbated after the intervention. 

 

Politicians who advocate social justice to gain votes, learn to enact politically desirable policies even as there are negative consequences for society.  Society might suffer, but the politician gains political support.  There are increased chances that terrible policies are enacted for their political desirability, when the politicians do not face the consequences of being wrong.

 

People react differently to the imposition of rules and policies than expected.  They do not simply accept and carry out someone else’s grand design.  Policies can have the reverse consequences than expected, such as raising tax rates with the expectation of increasing tax revenue, can have the consequence of lowering tax revenue as people find ways of avoiding the taxed activity or product.  Alternatively, lowering tax rates can increase tax revenue as more people will find the activity or product attractive.

 

Caveats?

While the author shares the biases of the opposition, the author has biases of one’s own.  There are various examples of how the opposition used evidence incorrectly or did not share the appropriate evidence, while the author presents favorable alternative evidence to support the authors’ claims without questioning the evidence in the same way.

 

This book contains examples and ideas found in various other books that the author wrote, without many changes to the examples or additional examples.  This book can be used as a short reference book to the authors’ other books. 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Are equal outcomes possible?  Are equal outcomes wanted?
•Is there exploitation and discrimination?
•Is discrimination the only factor that prevents people from what they want to obtain?
•Can there be racial or ethnic minorities which dominate industries? 
•Does a group need to excel in every achievement? 
•What is the first-born bias?
•Does having a father make a difference in life?
•How can geography shape outcomes? 
•How does culture shape outcomes?
•How did draft animals affect outcomes?
•Is nature egalitarian? 
•How does honesty effect outcomes?
•Is IQ inherited? 
•What is the chess board fallacy? 
•How do tax rates effect tax revenue?
•What do politicians focus on when creating policies? 
•What do politicians learn?
•What is an inflation tax and who does it effect?
•Who makes up the 1%?
•What is consequential knowledge?
•How do social justice advocates effect the problem they are trying to alleviate?
•What happened to the trend in venereal diseases? 
•What are the consequences to people making decisions when they face no repercussions for their decisions? 
•What can cause totalitarian regimes to take over a democracy?


Book Details
Edition:                   First Edition
Publisher:               Basic Books [Hachette Book Group]
Edition ISBN:         9781541603936
Pages to read:          127
Publication:             2023
1st Edition:              2023
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          4
Overall          4






Thursday, October 17, 2024

Review of Korea: A History by Eugene Y. Park

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Book Club Event = Book List (03/01/2025)
Intriguing Connections = 1) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (North KoreaSouth Korea), 


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“Towards the end of the Bronze Age, stronger tribes headed by such political leaders subordinated weaker groups and extracted tribute from them.  The frequency and scale of battles increased with the spreading use of metal, including iron, and warfare produced rulers and the ruled.  As tribes merged through war and alliances, larger polities arose, first in Liaoning and north-western Korea.  The earliest known and the most powerful was Kojosǒn.” – Eugene Y. Park, Chapter 1: The Dawn of Korean Civilization to 391 CE, Page 23

 

“The Three Kingdoms improved economic productivity by strengthening tax collection and manpower mobilization, disseminating iron farming tools, and promoting plowing with oxen.  Each also produced luxury goods that required sophisticated craftsmanship to meet the demands of royals and aristocrats.  Increased manufacturing and agriculture allowed surplus production, which stimulated commerce and trade.  The state and elites instituted strict laws to buttress a caste-like aristocracy system, with administrators, commoners, and slaves, while promoting Buddhism for social harmony and order.” – Eugene Y. Park, Chapter 2: The Three Kingdoms, Pyuǒ, and Kaya, 391-676, Page 40

 

“As the appointment and promotion of those paying bribes became rampant, rapacious officials filled their pockets by imposing unjust taxes and surcharges on the population.  Furthermore, as the population began to decrease, after frequent natural disasters led to widespread famine and epidemics, the tax burden on struggling ordinary farmers only increased.  With spreading discontent, outright resistance became more frequent as Korea underwent significant socioeconomic changes.” – Eugene Y. Park, Chapter 8: Late Chosǒn Renovation and Decline, 1724-1864, Page 195


Review

Is This An Overview?

Korea’s technological progress in the Bronze Age brought with it social stratification and the subordination of weaker tribes by stronger tribes.  Tribes became larger and more centralized, eventually bringing about the Three Kingdoms of Paekche, Koguryǒ, and Silla.  The kingdoms were brought together under the Koryǒ monarchy, which transitioned into the Chosǒn.  Becoming the two states of North and South Korea after the end of Japanese occupation. 

 

The kingdoms had their similarities and differences within conflicts and foreign relations.  Even from the early Kingdoms, Korea’s culture and politics has been influenced by China.  The kingdoms developed strict aristocracies, with Buddhism, Confucianism, and later Protestantism for social harmony and governance legitimization.  Governance which became a compromise between meritocracy and aristocracy through examination and privileges.  At times, monarchs became figureheads.  

 

The Korean states maintained their sovereignty through a balance of power between them, and other neighboring states.  But were often a tributary state, a colony of another power such as China, Mongolia, Manchuria, or Japan.  Preserving their identity while being subordinate. 

 

The economic burden of societies tended to be placed on the lower classes, the farmers.  When there was more extraction from farmers, the economy suffered, which sparked rebellions.  The socioeconomic situation improved when the lower classes were not under dire pressure, and were supported by knowledge and innovation.  The political and economic tension persisted into the two states of North and South Korea.  Both had authoritarian regimes, but while North Korea was influenced by Russia to pursue economic self-sufficiency, South Korea was influenced by the United States to pursue economic integration into a global economy.  North Korea’s economy initially fared better than South Korea’s, but South Korea flourished due to globalization, while North Korea suffered through a lack of needed support. 

 

Caveats?

This book can be difficult to read, as a lot of diverse details are provided in quick succession.  There is often a lack of explanations for events other than the details of what happened, with poor transitions between events.  The informational organization when describing contemporaneous Korean states can make it difficult to understand what information effects what state.  The difficulty of reading the book was alleviated when the author was describing shorter time horizons, with fewer political states.

 

As a book on Korea, the author favors interpreting information to favor Korea.  A present but not major bias, is the representation of Korea as more victim and others as perpetrators, while limiting information on Korea’s aggressions. 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•From what is Korea’s name derived from?
•How did the Bronze Age effect Korea?
•Where did Koreans come from?
•What were features of the Kojosǒn?
•What are the Three Kingdoms?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of Silla?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of Koguryǒ?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of Paekche?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of Koryǒ?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of Chosǒn?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of North Korea?
•What was the political, social, economic situation of South Korea?
•What was the political, social, economic situation when Korea was occupied by Japan?
•How did Korea become the two states of North and South Korea? 
•How do North and South Korea interact with each other? 
•How has China influenced Korea throughout history?
•How was Korea influenced by Mongolia?
•How was Korea influenced by Manchuria?
•How was Korea influenced by Japan?
•How was Korea influenced by Buddhism? 
•How was Korea influenced by Confucianism? 
•How was Korea influenced by Protestantism? 
•What happened to Korean’s knowledge base?
•What are the true-bone aristocrats? 
•How did relationships change?
•How did family structure change?
•How did slavery change? 


Book Details
Publisher:               Stanford University Press
Edition ISBN:         9781503629844
Pages to read:          382
Publication:             2022
1st Edition:              2022
Format:                    Paperback

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    3
Content          4
Overall          3