Seoul National University

Imagining the Leaders of an Era of a “Cognitive Culture”

Respected Minister of Education, Science, and Technology Byong Man Ahn, Chair of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education, Science, and Technology Boo Kyum Kim, President of the Alumni Association, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen,

Today, Seoul National University (SNU) proudly launches the Public Leadership Center, which may strike some of you as unnecessarily obvious. Indeed, we have offered diverse leadership training programs both within and without our official curricula. Nevertheless, the need for new leadership training focusing on the Center has arisen for the following reasons.

First, I would like to discuss the philosophy and ideal of the SNU Public Leadership Center.

An axiom of leadership training is that intellectually outstanding individuals do not necessarily serve society and the nation. In other words, this reflects the concern that there is always a possibility for talented individuals not to be exemplary or to serve society and the nation when they work with others after the completion of their education. Consequently, it must be stressed that even members of the elite must constantly be aware of themselves and ponder on who they are, who others are, and what they can achieve together with others in what ways.

The basic principle of leadership is “non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis,” which means, “not for me, not for you, but for us.” Needless to say, leadership is and must be for everyone.

We all know well that leadership training must be grounded in academics. It goes without saying that what society expects of young people who graduate from institutions of higher learning called universities after completing their respective academic programs is none but an incomparable intellectual capacity. However, in addition to maintaining academic excellence, these talented individuals must also be able to work together with others, help others, sacrifice themselves, and set the example. Patience and tolerance, which are indispensable here, cannot be obtained from academics per se.

One does not automatically become a talented individual serviceable to society by continuing to pursue one’s academic interests. Indeed, there are surprisingly many who remain in what Plato called the spiritual state of “pitis” (common belief) and “doxa” (erroneous opinion) even though they have attained the entirety of human knowledge including that of life, humanity, and the material world around us. In addition, young people must embody intellect that engages in direct and personal action instead of simply remaining on the level of analytical declarations. To become true leaders, they must, from early on, cultivate their learning, strive to understand society, and inculcate in themselves the spirit of selfless service when working with others. All too often, the leaders of this country hitherto have become leaders by virtue of their positions and roles. They, however, were no leaders; they were simply entrusted with particular duties.

Because the Center’s ideal is oriented toward forthcoming generations, the leadership training that it offers likewise is oriented toward the future. This is why it is all the more impossible to become leaders of the future without a proper understanding of the change occasioned by scientific and technological development, or of a creative society. Moreover, true leaders of the future must be capable of creating a beautifully creative society. In this respect, potential leaders of next generations must be equipped with the idea that they design their own future―in other words, “Audentis fortuna iuvat,” or “Fortune favors the bold.” Accordingly, SNU will prepare for the future by launching the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology in March 2009.

SNU seeks to implement a free major system whereby students will design their own majors instead of being constrained by an education system one-sidedly provided by the school to foster future leaders of society and the nation by urging young intellectuals to broaden their thinking and understanding. Until now, students have completed major courses according to the established education system. In the future, however, they must study more flexibly to prepare for a future based on the diverse organization of academic disciplines.

Another value that the Center pursues is the instillation of beautiful and creative leadership as well as leadership that is based on actual action. Because future society will be a creative one, leadership suited to such a society must be creative. This is why we have selected as the analytical framework for the Center (1) a world of analysis/synthesis, (2) a world of creativity, and (3) a world of praxis. For the same reason, we stress the “axis of imagination” as the framework for understanding the world. What I must stress at this point is that creation is somatic, not merely or solely cerebral.

As you well know, the paradigm has shifted with the advent of the 21st century. As a result, the source of the creation of wealth is shifting from knowledge and information to imagination, creative imagination in particular. Moreover, not only are knowledge and information inadequate for the creation of power and wealth but, from now on, the new concept of leadership that “power is service” must be disseminated and put into practice. In consideration of the fact that, in the past, individuals’ desire to create power and wealth at times misled society and the nation, the Center indirectly seeks to intensify the new paradigm of leadership in terms of power.

As Jean-Jacques Rousseau put it, by nature, power is perpetual and perishable at once. Power generated by social relationships signifies that one has been deprived of one’s belongings and property and has been alienated from both oneself and others. Regrettably, however, far too many people are achievement-oriented and pursue power without being aware of this fundamental nature of power, and far too many so-called leadership training programs focus on teaching people the techniques for obtaining such power.

Nor can we neglect the fact that, as the world changes, so do fundamental values. The scientific paradigm of conquest-oriented science and 19th-century rationalism has changed to a “cognitive paradigm.” Under this new paradigm, there are multiple subjects who interpret the world disparately, and we must overcome the problem of mutual recognition and communication of and among these subjects.

Human civilization has developed along the horizontal axis of materials and energy. From now on, however, we must also take into consideration the vertical axis of time and living beings, which we call a cognitive culture. Here, recognition and introspection are as important as, if not more important than, production.

In launching the Center, we must take into consideration our new understanding of such power and a new arena for a cognitive culture. In this respect, I must also discuss the meaning of the Korean word “gonggong,” which is generally used to translate the Western concept of “public.” It is my understanding that, although they use the identical Chinese characters as does the Korean word, the Japanese counterpart, “kÞkyÞ,” and the Chinese counterpart, “gonggong,” comprehend the sense not only of the public but also of the private. The newly launched SNU Public Leadership Center pointedly includes the word “public” in its name because we strongly hope that talented young people in all fields will pursue not only their academics but also beautiful harmony with society at large. Annually selected by US News and World Report and the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, “America’s Best Leaders” include numerous figures in the private sector such as the CEO of iRobot and medical school faculty members who reach out to local communities.

Although it will focus on training students for their future, in terms of research, the Center will also implement a program to remember, study, and continue the achievements of notable Korean leaders. As a part of the effort, we plan to create programs such as the Unam Syngman Rhee Fellowship, Baekbeom Kim Gu Fellowship, Hoam Lee Byung-chul Fellowship, Asan Chung Ju-yung Fellowship, and Lee Jong-wook Fellowship to continue the experience, expertise, and wisdom of noteworthy personages. This is to overcome our habit of not adequately recording, remembering, and paying tribute to the accomplishments of historical figures.

In thus launching the Center, there is no end to our wishes and ambitions for it. However, to pave the way for a new arena of leadership training, we ask each and every one of you to take an interest in and to support this historic project. Indeed, I earnestly and strongly encourage all of the distinguished guests here today to give lectures at the Center and to be mentors our students. Because young people nowadays harbor many mistaken views of the nation, society, organizations, and others that must be corrected, we must also continue to conduct research to enhance the training of our future leaders.

SNU will ceaselessly strive to accomplish its goal of building a new nation on the basis of self-sacrifice and service to the community, anticipating the realization of an ideal society. I would like to conclude this speech by expressing my confidence that, on that day, research will be even more meaningful, our society will be even more peaceful, and the nation will be even more prosperous. Thank you.