The Root of Innovation: Spirit of Resistance and Counterculture

The Root of Innovation: Spirit of Resistance and Counterculture

In South Korea, the discourse of Korea's Silicon Valley has been repeated for a long time. At one point, Daejeon Daejeok was mentioned, at other times, Seoul Gangnam Teheran Road was promising, and recently, Gyeonggi-do Seongnam Pangyo has been receiving attention. There may be various factors behind the birth of Silicon Valley, but if the social, cultural, and spiritual foundations we have examined so far had not been supported, the vitality of the innovation center would not have been long-lasting. It's like saying "being born in a good place." Although there are ambitious plans to become the second Silicon Valley, if we aim for the first cradle of innovation that represents Korea's unique entrepreneurial spirit, our challenge can be more sustainable. The fact that many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, not just Jobs, are still immersed in Eastern philosophies such as Zen Buddhism and Taoism, throws many implications to us. Perhaps there are clues to innovation in the spiritual and cultural backgrounds that we have already internalized. The starting point is the attitude of not being satisfied with the present and dreaming of a new world.

In the early days, technologists and hippies did not harmonize with each other. People who were part of the counterculture movement saw computers as dangerous machines that would promote the destruction of humanity and be misused by those in power. However, as we entered the 1970s, the atmosphere began to change. John Markoff, a senior journalist for The New York Times, evaluated that "the computer, which had been treated as a centralized control tool for the powerful, was gradually being perceived as a symbol of personal expression and freedom." Why did I go to a small bookstore when I came to Silicon Valley? The spark was Steve Jobs' words. In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, Jobs concluded his speech with "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish." In fact, this was not the first time Jobs had said this. He explicitly stated in his speech that this expression was the slogan of the 1960-70s counterculture generation's textbook, the "Whole Earth Catalog." Looking at Jobs' biography, he was a counterculture enthusiast, or a hippie, to the core. The Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where he chose to go, was famous for its free spirit and hippie lifestyle. During his university days, Jobs was deeply immersed in spirituality and enlightenment. His interest in Eastern philosophy and Zen Buddhism was not just a fleeting interest or a passing curiosity of his youth. Jobs wholeheartedly accepted the intuitive insight emphasized in Buddhism, and it became the essence that permeated his entire life. Daniel Kottke, Jobs' friend from Reed College and an early Apple engineer, defined him as "a person absorbed in Zen. All his approaches are derived from the pure aesthetics of minimalism and intense concentration, all of which are derived from Zen." Many hippies created communities in nature to experiment with a new world, but some saw the future in technology. As Jobs grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, as his birthplace suggests, he has a strong eccentricity for electronics. In the late 1960s, various cultural streams coexisted in San Francisco and the Bay Area. First, as the Cold War defense industry grew, cutting-edge technology continued to develop. With technological advancements, electronics companies, microchip manufacturers, video game developers, and computer companies emerged one after another, and a subculture centered around computer enthusiasts flourished. In addition, political resistance movements based on the Beat Generation and Berkeley's free speech movement formed a remarkable current. In this social atmosphere, attempts to pursue personal enlightenment and freedom gradually expanded. Examples include Buddhism, Hinduism, meditation and yoga, sensory deprivation for enlightenment, and human potential development movements. The harmony between counterculture hippies and computer enthusiasts The most important figure who contributed to the harmony between counterculture hippies and computer enthusiasts was Stuart Brand, the founder of the "Whole Earth Catalog" mentioned earlier. The cover of the "Whole Earth Catalog" features a photograph of the Earth taken from space, with the subtitle "Access to Tools." The basic philosophy of Brand's publication was the belief that technology could be a friend to humans. Steve Jobs was a fervent fan of the "Whole Earth Catalog." He was particularly fascinated by the final edition of the catalog, which featured the quote "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" that he quoted in his Stanford University commencement speech. When he was in college or working on an apple farm, he always had a copy of the catalog with him. Later, Brand designated Jobs as the person who best embodied the cultural fusion that the "Whole Earth Catalog" pursued. Thus, it is no coincidence that the "Bay Area," which was the center of the 1950s resistance movement and the 1960-70s counterculture, stood tall as the icon of innovation, "Silicon Valley." Bono, the leader of the rock band U2, who is active in charity, philanthropy, and environmental issues, commented, "The counterculture generation based on rock music and rebellion made a significant contribution to the birth of the personal computer (PC) industry. The people who created the 21st century were ultimately the hippies of the Western United States. They were able to imagine a new world that had never existed before because they knew how to think differently. The traditional generations of the Eastern United States, Britain, Germany, and Japan did not encourage that kind of thinking." In San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the strong desire of young people who dreamed of a new world has accumulated over the years. Jobs, in his youth, often stayed in a communal apple farm with like-minded leaders. He took charge of pruning apple trees, managed work with other residents interested in Eastern religions, and experimented with a diet consisting only of fruit. This experience played a decisive role in his decision to name his company "Apple Computer." The 1997 Apple advertisement "Think Different" directly presents this concept. The advertisement does not emphasize the features and advantages of Apple computers at all; instead, it allows people to feel what progress can be achieved by using a computer as a tool for creative individuals. It is nothing less than a cheering message that praises those who can think differently in a world where people who think differently are often seen as misfits, rebels, thinkers trapped in square holes, or pegs in round holes. However, innovation literally starts with an attempt to completely change and create new customs, organizations, methods, and approaches. The rock band U2's leader, Bono, who is active in charity, philanthropy, and environmental issues, commented, "The counterculture generation based on rock music and rebellion made a significant contribution to the birth of the personal computer (PC) industry. The people who created the 21st century were ultimately the hippies of the Western United States. They were able to imagine a new world that had never existed before because they knew how to think differently. The traditional generations of the Eastern United States, Britain, Germany, and Japan did not encourage that kind of thinking." In San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the strong desire of young people who dreamed of a new world has accumulated over the years. Jobs, in his youth, often stayed in a communal apple farm with like-minded leaders. He took charge of pruning apple trees, managed work with other residents interested in Eastern religions, and experimented with a diet consisting only of fruit. This experience played a decisive role in his decision to name his company "Apple Computer." The 1997 Apple advertisement "Think Different" directly presents this concept. The advertisement does not emphasize the features and advantages of Apple computers at all; instead, it allows people to feel what progress can be achieved by using a computer as a tool for creative individuals. It is nothing less than a cheering message that praises those who can think differently in a world where people who think differently are often seen as misfits, rebels, thinkers trapped in square holes, or pegs in round holes. However, innovation literally starts with an attempt to completely change and create new customs, organizations, methods, and approaches. The birth of Silicon Valley as a "Bay Area" that served as the center of the resistance movement in the 1950s and the counterculture movement in the 1960-70s is not a coincidence. We can say that the social context in which people who dreamt of a new world coexisted has led to the creation of such an innovation icon as Silicon Valley. The emergence of AI and the new technological era raise questions about how we should educate ourselves and what kind of society we should build. In this regard, it seems that we need to pay attention to the role of humanities education and the insights it can provide.