"A Thinking Map for Reading the World" by Jeong Gwang-hun [Midas Books]
"A Thinking Map for Reading the World" by Jeong Gwang-hun [Midas Books]

Have you ever opened a ChatGPT window and sat there, wondering what on earth to ask?

News floods every screen, and AI can answer almost anything. Yet the more information there is, the harder it becomes to know what to trust and how to judge.

"A Thinking Map for Reading the World" is a general-interest guide to thinking in exactly this kind of age. It weaves together key concepts from psychology, philosophy, politics, economics, science and technology, and international affairs into a single thread, offering a framework for viewing a complex world in three dimensions.

Author Jeong Gwang-hun argues that "the key to understanding the world lies not in knowing more information, but in the ability to connect information and ask questions." In the age of AI, he contends, the most essential skill is the power to think.

Jeong presents four thinking tools — categorization, asking good questions, grasping the essence, and connecting knowledge — and guides readers to expand their own mental maps. Drawing on these tools, the book moves through human cognition and ethics, politics and economics, science and technology, and international affairs in turn, cultivating a broad perspective on the world.

The book tackles a wide range of issues that shape the world we share — the invisible gorilla experiment, confirmation bias, game theory, AI and labor, the climate crisis, and the US-China rivalry for global dominance — all through a question-driven lens. Rather than simply listing isolated facts, it links disparate concepts and debates to help readers develop the capacity to think and judge for themselves.

For readers who want to understand the world more deeply and build a broader, more resilient way of thinking, "A Thinking Map for Reading the World" offers a reliable compass for finding their own path.

Jeong began his career as a civil servant at what was then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before going on to work across a range of financial roles at Korea Development Bank, including corporate finance, structured finance, and securities management. More recently, he has been learning AI engineering, continually pushing into new fields.


ehkim@heraldcorp.com