[This Week's Books] 'Why Is It Difficult to Be a Good Person' and 5 More Titles

◆Why Is It Difficult to Be a Good Person?=If you had to give up 150,000 won to save a person in crisis, what decision would you make? An experiment conducted with German university students showed that 57% chose to keep the money rather than donate it to save a life. The behavioral economist author explains that although most people think of themselves as fairly good, their actual behavior often contradicts this. There are six main reasons: ▲the instinct to avoid loss ▲the desire to be seen as a good person ▲emotions that block rationality ▲the belief that you must get something in return for giving ▲diffused responsibility weakening morality ▲traits inherited from ancestors. Based on this, the author introduces why people want to be good but fail to live kindly, and conversely, how they can live kindly. (Written by Armin Falk · Published by Gimyeongsa)

◆People Trapped in Their Hands=An addiction treatment expert warns that obsession with technology and social media has a deadly negative impact on modern people. The author argues that the more addicted to digital devices, the more anxiety intensifies. Social media platforms are designed to generate extreme emotions, dependency, and depression for profit, and the resulting binary simplification of thinking fosters social conflict and division. Special attention is given to the harmful effects on adolescents and young adults. Examining mental illnesses and social phenomena stemming from the unethical structural problems of social media, the author introduces ‘psychological immunity’ as a way to escape the collective mental health crisis. (Written by Nicholas Kardaras · Published by Heureum Publishing)

◆Brain Science That Cares for the Mind=More people are visiting hospitals with symptoms such as panic, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. A psychiatrist interprets his clinical experiences with patients through brain science theories. He argues that although humanity lives in an advanced civilization, the brain is still no different from that of hunter-gatherers, and unlike modern humans’ pursuit of happiness, the brain still prioritizes ‘survival’ as its main goal. Anxiety is a stress response system, loneliness is a preparation for survival threats when excluded from groups, and depression is an energy-saving mode. From a biological perspective, the author reinterprets emotions like depression and anxiety, which are often viewed negatively. He advises that these difficult emotions are actually signals that increase human survival chances, and by understanding this evolutionary principle, one can change the direction of life. (Written by Anders Hansen · Published by Korea Economic Daily)

◆The Beginning of All Present, the 1990s=This book portrays the intellectual history of the 1990s through magazines such as literary journals, academic journals, quarterly magazines, and popular culture magazines, gauging the meaning and direction of mental history continuing from the 2000s to the present. The research topics include ‘literature,’ ‘thought,’ ‘culture,’ ‘generation,’ ‘digital,’ ‘intellectuals,’ ‘progress,’ ‘nation,’ ‘control,’ ‘women’ (feminism), ‘ecology,’ ‘crisis,’ and ‘the masses.’ It delves into the process where Marxism, which spread in university campuses in the 1980s, was replaced by postmodernism and postcolonialism, and literary trends that focused on ‘individual,’ ‘inner self,’ and ‘daily life’ rather than grand ideologies, exploring concrete realities. It also highlights social changes where, amid ongoing crises due to labor flexibilization and the normalization of irregular employment, arming oneself to protect oneself became important. (Written by Yoon Yeo-il · Published by Dolbegae)

◆A Lawyer Who Reads Luck=An author who has worked as a lawyer for 50 years introduces the ‘lucky life’ he has realized through the lives of about 10,000 clients he has met so far. The author explains that while some ‘unlucky people’ come to him in the same predicament, there are ‘lucky people’ who succeed in everything they do and live happy lives, and he shares the common traits found in lucky people. The key is that ‘luck’ is not a mysterious realm but something that can be earned through effort. The author emphasizes that moral faults have a greater impact on luck than legal crimes, and simply repaying the ‘moral debts’ accumulated with those around you can bring good luck. This is not a problem limited to specific individuals. Since humans are ‘beings who commit moral faults as long as they live,’ just recognizing that one’s comfortable daily life is enjoyed at the expense of someone else’s sacrifice can invite luck. (Written by Nishinaka Tsutomu · Published by Altus)

◆The Cold War in Asia=The Chinese historian author explores the formation and development of the Cold War in Asia, centered on the 38th parallel drawn on the Korean Peninsula. The book describes why the 38th parallel was drawn and its impact on the Korean War, and how the Soviet Union and the United States viewed the Korean War from the perspective of national interests. It also introduces how China, despite initially disagreeing with Kim Il-sung’s war attempt, became involved in the war due to complex reasons such as the stability of Northeast China and relations with the Soviet Union. Furthermore, by examining the relationship between the San Francisco Peace Treaty between Japan and the United States and the armistice agreement, and based on declassified Soviet documents and records from the U.S. and China, the author evaluates China’s policy decisions. (Written by Sun Zhihua · Published by Somyung Publishing)

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