For the 4th year, 'Brick Book' together... "Even if you read one book, it has the effect of reading ten"

Last year on the 15th anniversary of Korean independence, an 11-member reading group called 'Eyepiece' met at the Ulsan Museum of Art on the first floor. Members of various professions, including a poet, youth counselor, pastor, doctor, acupuncturist, pharmacist, journalist, housewife, and elderly care worker, gathered around tables to discuss a dense 800-page book called 'World Philosophy History 4: Beyond the Foundations of Thinking' by philosopher It Jang-won.

This group, organized by a non-profit cultural organization, had been meeting once a month for the past four years to read 'World Philosophy History' volumes 1-4. The group's greatest feature was the "strong presentation" where members directly presented and debated topics instead of passively listening to lectures from authors or experts.

One day's presentation was prepared by Kim Soo-bok, who had been working on the presentation for six months and found that reading other books expanded his understanding. Members provided diverse answers to the question "What does 'thought' and 'philosophy' mean to you?" ranging from "a personal milestone in experiencing each moment" to "a state of not getting trapped in oneself."

Established in 2013 by four friends in their early 40s, the group was named 'Eyepiece' based on the idea that reading expands one's perspective beyond just one's own lens. Over time, the group expanded to 424 members who communicate online and meet virtually. Despite the challenges of reading difficult books alone, members found that discussing them with 11 other people made the experience more enriching, leading to a "one-book, 10-topic" outcome.

This phenomenon, known as the "effect of reading 10 books at once," highlights the cultural infrastructure value that 'Eyepiece' brings to the city of Ulsan, which lacks sufficient cultural facilities and has low library accessibility compared to other major cities.