[Bread-Baking Typewriter] The 'Yukryu' Writer and the 'Zombie' Teacher... Is There Any Philosophy Funnier Than This?

A Life-or-Death Philosophy Class Between Humans and Zombies

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] "You think physics or mathematics are 'different from philosophy,' but originally, all those disciplines were the same, one and the same. At first, physics, chemistry, and even mathematics were philosophy." The person who said this while sitting in a fast-food restaurant in Shimokitazawa, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, is the 'Zombie Teacher.' The very zombie, a living corpse, whose skull hidden under the wig is actually sunken.

A zombie who has studied for 3,000 years without ever dying, nonchalantly teaching philosophy in the middle of a city fast-food restaurant. Sitting in front of him, listening to the zombie's philosophy class, is Hiro, who is pretentious on social networking services (SNS) but has failed to find a job and is making a living through part-time work. A shabby youth who could be anywhere, perhaps even a reflection of ourselves. Sakura Tsuyoshi's book, Philosophy Lessons at the Risk of Life Between Humans and Zombies, captures the slow growth of this youth learning philosophy from the zombie, escaping a 'zombie-like' life of living without thought, and becoming a philosopher of everyday life.

Sakura Tsuyoshi introduces himself as a failed aspiring comedian and a 'meat' writer who couldn't even become a third-rate one. He was once a hikikomori, abruptly dropped out of university after becoming an adult, and wandered through various jobs for a long time. When he was about to settle as a member of society, he abandoned everything and went to India. The layers of questions about life accumulated during that process and the philosophical approach to resolving them are embedded in this book.

Why was I born, and what should I live for? Where do I go when life ends? Am I alone in this world, or is someone watching my life? Philosophy starts from these questions, but it is not easy to approach it readily. Philosophy is difficult and is often seen as not helpful for immediate living. The author conveys through the mouth of a zombie who has lived 3,000 years that philosophy, which feels distant from our lives, is actually closely connected to our lives. The context of philosophy, which feels far away, is cleverly unraveled through a question-and-answer dialogue. This format can be seen as a modern variation of Plato's 'Dialogues,' which recorded Socrates' thoughts and appearance.

Meeting Hiro at a suicide spot cliff, Zombie Teacher explains the reflections accumulated over long years of surviving without dying and the wisdom of philosophers who have expanded humanity's horizon of knowledge in a friendly and humorous way. When Zombie Teacher says, "Kant said that the concepts of time and space and the way of cognition through them are not based on experience but are created by human reason. So empiricists did not acknowledge human reason, but Kant said cognition is completed by recognizing experience through reason. In other words, experience is important, reason is important, and combining both is cognition. That’s the conclusion of the problem of cognition," Hiro responds, "Experience, reason, and both combined as cognition? Doesn't that sound like TVXQ? Changmin, Yunho, and together TVXQ." Zombie Teacher also likens life to a Super Mario game, asking, "If stages continued without enemies, mountains, or valleys, could you enjoy it? If you could save the princess just by going straight, would that be fun?"

This book serves as an introduction for those starting to study philosophy but does not organize major philosophical issues chronologically or introduce the context of philosophy centered on philosophers' genealogies. It does not prematurely discuss the usefulness of philosophy. Rather, it views attempts to seek philosophy's practicality as distancing from everyday life and warns against it. Instead, the author consistently talks about the 'everydayness of philosophy.' The everyday conversations about questions everyone has in life ultimately reach the question, "If you must live despite everything, how will you live?" Zombie Teacher cites Nietzsche's eternal recurrence as an example, saying, "Even if eternal recurrence happens, even if this life repeats many times, devote yourself fully to your current life so you can accept it confidently."

While advocating everyday philosophy, this book also covers traditional philosophical topics, emphasizing that philosophy is not about memorizing abstract lofty theories but wisdom that can answer urgent questions that suddenly arise in daily life differently from yesterday. Listening to the dialogues between Zombie Teacher and Hiro, philosophy approaches us step by step, even without risking life.

(Philosophy Lessons at the Risk of Life Between Humans and Zombies / written by Sakura Tsuyoshi / Chusubat / 16,000 KRW)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.