Humanity has experienced countless economic and political systems since the dawn of civilization - yet none have proven perfect, including the current models of modern capitalism and mass democracy. Today, we face critical challenges: the polarization of wealth, the devaluation of individual dignity, the deterioration of our survival environment, and the deepening conflict between social groups - problems so serious that they can no longer be embraced or absorbed by nature itself.
We recognize a striking parallel to the social conditions of 4th-century B.C. Athens, the cradle of Hellenism. Modern Western civilization stands on a cultural foundation formed by a fusion of Hellenistic reason and Christian faith. Our aim is to examine the deep structure of Hellenism and Christianity - not through the lens of their ideologies or religious doctrines, but from a position outside of them, in search of the underlying mechanisms that govern society.
Ultimately, we hope our discoveries will serve as a catalyst for meaningful dialogue, inspiring us to work together toward solutions to the systemic crises we face.
Epicurus: from Wikipedia
There is a Korean proverb that says, “Excess is worse than scarcity,” reflecting the virtues of humility and moderation. In today’s world, capitalism has given us too much wealth, and democracy, too much freedom - a combination that may ultimately plunge society into deeper turmoil rather than deliver peace.
In response, we seek a new direction - one guided by the philosophy of Epicurus.
Epicurus classifies desires into three types:
Natural and necessary - such as the desire for food, shelter, and basic security. These are easy to satisfy, difficult to eliminate, and bring pleasure when fulfilled. Most importantly, they are naturally limited - they have a clear endpoint. Going beyond these limits produces unnecessary desires, such as the desire for gourmet foods. Although food is necessary, luxury food is not.
Natural but unnecessary - such as the desire for luxury or excess. Clothing is necessary but ornate clothing is not; shelter is necessary but a lavish home is not; sexual intimacy may be natural but elaborate romantic pursuits are not. Satisfying these desire often adds anxiety and fosters discontent.
Vain and empty - including the desires for wealth, power, fame, immortality, and excessive luxury. These are not grounded in nature, cannot be fully satisfied, and typically lead to restlessness, anxiety, and unhappiness. As produced and enforced by society and by false beliefs about necessity, vain and empty desires are best avoided.
Epicurus advocates hedonistic moderation - not indulgence, but freedom through the reduction of desire. When we need less, we are less disturbed. By rejecting unnecessary and vain desires, we free ourselves from endless striving and insecurity. Focusing only on what is truly necessary brings true happiness, freedom from pain, and mental peace.
This ancient wisdom provides a clear ethical compass:
→ Live with less, and live more freely.
→ Moderation is liberation.
→ The good life is not found in excess, but in peace.
Epicurean philosophy, then, offers more than personal insight - it offers a social ethic. It reminds us that the cure to many of civilization’s problems lies not in invention, but in restraint.
Not by multiplying wants, but by realigning them with nature.
Have you ever noticed that the traditional English sentence formula — Subject + Verb + (Object) — is logically flawed in its construction? The elements it combines are not drawn from the same grammatical plane.
The terms subject and object describe functions performed by noun phrases.
The term verb, however, refers to a part of speech, not a syntactic role.
This inconsistency is like being asked to describe the structure of a building and answering:
“It consists of pillars, walls, a roof, and wood.”
While pillars, walls, and roof describe structural roles, wood describes material — not a structural component.
In the same way, "verb" in the S+V+O formula misaligns conceptually with subject and object.
🔁 POES as a Solution
To resolve this and other contradictions, we propose an alternative framework:
Predicate Oriented English Speaking (POES).
POES offers a consistently structured model that redefines sentence elements based on their functional roles within predicate structures — not their part-of-speech labels.
Take the word “reading”, traditionally labeled a verb (gerund or participle). Yet its role varies widely:
Reading is fun. → (Subject)
I read every day. → (Predicate Verb)
I like reading. → (Object)
I am reading. → (Predicate Adjective/Complement)
Although all forms are derived from a verb, they serve different functions and are inconsistently labeled. The term verb in this context loses precision, leading to confusion in grammatical analysis and teaching.
We have been isolating such inconsistencies in traditional grammar (T-PEGD) and developing systematic solutions based on the principles of POES — which centers all structure around the predicate as the topic carrier (TC), and classifies components based on function, not form.
This approach restores logical consistency to grammar description,
and provides a more transparent and accessible model — especially for learners.
✅ This version:
Highlights the core inconsistency in T-PEGD
Clarifies your analogy with stronger precision
Introduces POES as a logically superior framework
Leads smoothly from critique to proposal
How to Rise and Let Children Learn in Harmony with Their Nature
Change is often regarded as a sign of progress. However, in the field of education, we have been witnessing that not all change leads to improvement. In fact, some changes have brought serious decline.
UNICEF has identified the current situation as a global learning crisis:
“Nearly two-thirds of 10-year-olds are estimated to be unable to read and understand a simple text. Without urgent action, this global learning crisis will become a generational catastrophe. Education systems were already failing our children even before the pandemic. COVID-19 has exacerbated this learning crisis, and children in almost every country have fallen behind in their learning. We need a global effort to tackle the learning crisis head on. Together, we can help every child gain basic reading and math skills and unlock their potential.”
In the course of Sociom research, we came to realize that the root of this crisis is not simply systemic failure, but the deeper influence of material capitalism and mass democracy on human behavior and values.
Materialistic economies overwhelm society with overproduction and overstimulation.
Unregulated freedom, once seen as liberation, has instead dulled our collective sense of balance and self-discipline — a concern already voiced by Plato over 2,500 years ago.
This research investigates how socioeconomic transformations affect education, both positively and negatively.
Our particular focus is on the negative consequences of these changes, and how to remedy them by returning to an ecological understanding of learning — one that respects the natural development of children, cultivates inner discipline, and restores balance between freedom and responsibility, production and purpose, stimulus and reflection.
✅ This version improves:
Clarity of your argument and transitions
Flow between UNICEF’s diagnosis and your deeper social diagnosis
Tone and expression for broader academic or policy-oriented readers
