Beyond Boundaries: Innovation through Openness

Foreword by
Chan J. Wu [Literary Critic, Loyola Library Director, Sogang University]
Woo-hyun Lee [Chairman, OCI Holdings, Co., Ltd., Korea]
Tae Joo Kim [Chairman, Plantynet, Co., Ltd., Korea]
Young-ho Oh [Colleague Professor at Sogang University]

Prologue
Keywords to Encounter an Open System. 1. Steve Jobs
Keywords to Encounter an Open System. 2. M.O.O.C
Keywords to Encounter an Open System. 3. Google
Definition of an Open System
Ch.1 The Beginning of an Open System | Are you Closed or Open?
- Curiosity and challenge are the keys to unlocking closed boundaries.
- The first step towards an open system: prestigious universities stepping outside the classroom.
- The Mpemba effect: Breaking down prejudices is the first step toward an open system.
- Yes, let's occasionally look at ourselves on Earth from outside the Earth.
- You think that's amazing? That's just a closed system.
- Learning is a process of going against the natural order of evolution.
- To become a prestigious university, we must break down the closed boundaries.
- Joseon dynasty under Heungseon Daewongun was a quintessential closed society.
- An open system is the fundamental strength needed for fusion, convergence, and open innovation.
- Venerable Jikji was a leader who embodied the principles of an open system.

Ch.2 The Application of Open Systems | Open-Minded People, An Open World

- An Open System in Academics: Take Cross-Disciplinary Courses (Humanities and Sciences)
- An Open System in History: The Silk Road, Marco Polo's Travels, and the Open Encounters Between East and West
- A Nation as an Open System: The Netherlands, Home to Hiddink, is a Prime Example of an Open Society
- An Open System in Science: The God Particle, Unveiling the Invisible

Ch.3 The History of Open Systems | Open Sciences, Open Humanities

- Open-minded Western scientists who sought to learn from closed-off China
- Chinese science was at a level that the West couldn't match until the 15th century.
- China's astronomy, rooted in philosophy, is a prime example of an open system.
- China's three great inventions revolutionized Western history.
- Sejong the Great, who employed Jang Yeong-sil, was an open-minded monarch.
- The Jesuits served as an open bridge between Eastern and Western
- The Western scientific revolution, though later than China's, surpassed it through its openness.
- Newton, Turing, Nobel – open-minded leaders who spearheaded the Western scientific revolution
- The opening and closing of scientific systems in the East and West
- How about adding a science subject to the national civil service exam?
- Can the humanities solve the crisis in science and technology?
- The humanities must stand firm in their own place.
- Are the humanities and science, or the East and West, as distant as the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?
- Are you saying that humanities students don't need to know science?
- Education that cannot foster dreams is a closed education.
- The crisis in the humanities in Korea is as severe as the crisis in science.
- Both the humanities and natural sciences are closed systems without imagination.

Ch.4 Challenges in Open Systems | Seek and Ye shall find

- The Challenge of an Open World, a World of Open Challenges
- The spirit of challenge is paramount in an open system.
- Instead of seeking employment, start a business; change the scale of your challenge.
- In an era of studying failure, let's break through closed systems with challenges.
- Dreaming of the birth of a Korean Steve Jobs...
- Open systems for people in their 20s: Find out what you want to do!

Ch.5 Leaders of Open Systems | Forefront Figures of Open Systems
- The Open System of Soccer - Versatile Player Park Ji-sung
- The Open System of Business - SoftBank's Son Masayoshi
- The Open System of Employment - Job Hunting Beyond Common Sense
- The Open System in Engineering - Attracting Genius Engineering Talent
- The Open System of the Internet - The Internet of Things
- 30 Tips for an Open System Lifestyle

Epilogue

These days, integration and creative convergence are frequently emphasized. Few, however, understand their true importance. But where and how should we integrate and converge? The possibilities seem endless. I would argue that an open-minded attitude is the primary prerequisite. Integration, convergence, and open innovation are not the products of a closed, insular mindset.

요즘도 여기저기서 통섭이나 창조적 융합을 강조하곤 합니다. ‘열린계’의 긍정성은 많은 이들이 공감하지만, 대체 어디서 어떻게 통섭하고 융합해야 하는가?에 답을 제시해 보는 노력은 미흡하지만, 열린계에서의 긍정적인 진화의 길은 사방으로 열려 있습니다. 저는 그 으뜸 되는 선결조건으로 열린계의 자세를 꼽고 싶습니다. 유아독존식의 닫힌 태도가 아니라 자신을 활짝 열어 보이는 자세는 통섭과 융합, 그리고 열린 혁신의 기초체력을 갖추어야 합니다. 열린계 정신없이 통섭과 융합, 열린 혁신을 기대하는 것은 연목구어입니다. 저는 이 불확정성의 시대 우리나라는 물론 전 세계의 청년들에게 더 큰 세상으로 마음껏 뻗어 나갈 열린 자기 혁신의 기초체력이 넉넉하기를 청합니다. 열린계의 시각으로 닫힌 울타리를 넘어 온 세상을 자유롭게 휘젓고 다녔으면 합니다. 그리하여 제한된 생각과 전공의 경직된 경계를 과감하게 무너뜨려갈 전 세계의 젊은이들과 같이 호흡하기 위해 이 책을 씁니다.

How should we view the universe as a system? Is its boundary infinitely open, or closed and isolated? Let's postpone that discussion for a moment and consider its scale. Given the infinite vastness of the universe, imagine a tiny grain of sand within that space representing the galaxy our solar system belongs to. Within that galaxy, the observable space is the size of our solar system. And within that solar system, a speck of dust represents the size of Earth. On a point on the Korean Peninsula-itself a minuscule point on Earth-we are born human and live out our brief lives. When you consider this, a human life seems insignificant. But are we living accordingly? A thousand years ago, the chinese poet Baekgeo seems to have understood this, expressing his feelings in a poem over a drink.

우주란 계를 어떻게 보아야 할까요? 그 경계는 무한하게 열려있는 우주일까요, 닫히고 고립된 우주일까요? 이에 대한 논의는 나중으로 미루고 개략적으로 그 크기를 짐작해 봅니다. 아마도 우주라는 공간은 무한하게 클 것이라 할 때, 이 무한한 우주 공간에서 작은 모래알 크기만 한 한 점의 공간을 우리 태양계가 속해있는 은하계 공간이라 한다면, 이 은하계 공간에서 티끌만 한 공간을 태양계, 그 태양계 공간 속에서의 먼지만 한 아주 작은 점의 공간을 지구의 크기라 해도 좋을 것입니다. 이 지구의 아주 작은 어느 점(계)에서 우리는 인간이란 동물로 태어나 그야말로 너무나 짧은 순간에 생노병사하며 생명을 마감합니다. 어찌 생각하면 한 인간의 일생이 별것도 아닌데 우린 이렇게 아옹다옹하며 살고 있는 것일지도 모릅니다. 천 년 전 백거이 시인은 인생의 덧없음을 잘 알고 술 한 잔 마시며 시로 토해내었나 봅니다.

A system's characteristics can mean the difference between life and death. Consider, too, the case of an ordinary person freely exchanging consciousness with their surroundings. It's easy to see how a person's mental openness or closedness affects their social interactions. It's also clear that those who choose the extreme path of suicide are often extremely closed-minded. Those who dominate in their fields tend to have open personalities. This difference stems from the boundary characteristics of the system.

체계의 경계 특성이 한 인간을 살릴 수도 있고 죽음에 이르게 할 수도 있습니다. 또, 의식주의 일체를 주위와 자유롭게 교환하는 체계 속의 보통 사람의 경우를 생각해 보지요. 성격의 측면에서 정신적으로 열려있는 사람과 닫혀있는 사람 중 어느 사람이 더불어 사는 세상에 사회성이 높은지를 쉽게 알 수 있을 것입니다. 쉽게 자살이란 극단적인 방법으로 죽음을 선택하는 대부분의 사람이 극히 폐쇄적 성격의 소유자들이란 점을 알 수 있습니다. 세상을 지배하는 사람들의 성격은 개방적입니다. 그 연유를 짐작할 수 있는 대목이 바로 열린계의 경계 특성입니다.