INCHEON — A new lecture series will look past the triumphs of history's winners to the failures and downfalls that followed, drawing lessons for how people navigate work and society today.
The Incheon Metropolitan City Museum said it will run "History as a Mirror," a public humanities lecture series for adults, every Friday from the 23rd through Nov. 13. Rather than memorizing historical facts, the series focuses on drawing lessons from failures born of poor judgment and the darker side of power.
The lecturers will concentrate on what lies in the shadow of victory. Kim Won-joong, a professor at Dankook University, opens the series on the 23rd with a look at the light and dark sides of recruiting talent and managing organizations, drawing on the Chinese historian Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian." He will take up the tragedies of King Goujian of Yue, who overcame every hardship to seize supremacy only to cast aside his comrades; Li Si, the Qin dynasty chancellor executed at the height of his power; and Han Xin, discarded in the end despite his great service in founding a dynasty. Through this history of conflict and betrayal within organizations, the lecture will search for ways to manage crises in the modern workplace and in social life.
The series will also examine the regrettable choices and leadership limits left behind by rulers of the past. Han Myung-ki, a professor at Myongji University, will address Joseon's foreign relations, in which diplomatic misjudgment invited national crisis. Park Hyun-mo, head of the Sejong Leadership Institute, will trace without reservation the disappointing missteps hidden behind the policy decisions of King Sejong, who is regarded as an outstanding monarch. Joo Kyung-chul, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, will analyze the reality of fiscal ruin concealed behind the splendor of France's Louis XIV, who stood at the apex of absolute monarchy.
The lectures run for two hours from 2 p.m. at Seoknam Hall on the museum's first floor and are free of charge. They are open to about 200 residents, who can attend on the day without advance registration.
Beyond building general knowledge, the series is expected to offer practical insight for readers who feel the weight of decision-making in a rapidly changing era.