VOL.83/2025.06

 

Origins of Scientific Terms

How did science become “science”?

 

2025.04.07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you think that science and language are two different realms? And yet, the moment we understand and explain science, the power of language is already at work.
How did scientific terms originate? This book takes you back to the moment when the concept of “science” first emerged to explore the nature of science.
At the crossroads of the history of science and the history of concepts, you will come to a new understanding of how scientific terms are born. And, you will be able to understand language and science from a broader perspective, breaking away from any preconceptions!

 

Time to dig into the language of science! The author traces the origins of 17 key scientific terms that we use every day without questioning. He also provides an interesting perspective on how different countries have interpreted and accepted scientific concepts.
Here’s an example. Today, “technology” is often translated as “giseul (기술)” in Korean. However, the traditional Chinese character “技術” also appears in Sima Qian’s Shiji (91 BC), and it had a very different meaning than it does today.

 

“Humans use vocabularies to discourse on truth, understand science, and define life.”
The birth and transformation of scientific terms indicate that the way the world is perceived has been reshaped.

 

An intellectual journey in search of the true nature of science!
Origins of Scientific Terms
Written by Kim Sung-Khun, published by EAST-ASIA Publishing Co.

 

 

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