1.A Study on The Strategy of Moral and Cultural Society Reform in Zhouxi's Neo-Confucianism
This paper examines Zhūzǐ's social practice in Yílǐjīngzhuàntōngjiě(儀禮經傳通解) and Zīzhìtōngjiàngāngmù(資治通鑑綱目) as a “realization of orthodox thought”. The orthodo ...
1.A Study on The Strategy of Moral and Cultural Society Reform in Zhouxi's Neo-Confucianism
This paper examines Zhūzǐ's social practice in Yílǐjīngzhuàntōngjiě(儀禮經傳通解) and Zīzhìtōngjiàngāngmù(資治通鑑綱目) as a “realization of orthodox thought”. The orthodoxy of Confucianism is a social and cultural discourse based on the reinterpretation of Confucius on the culture of Li(禮) of Zhōu(周) country. It is also a discourse on the deposit system that focuses on the righteousness of the king. The core is the “Moral of Spring and Autumn(春秋義理)”, which is “orthodox judgment” based on the moral law that “the king should be a king and a servant should be a servant”. Zīzhìtōngjiàngāngmù of Zhūzǐ(朱子) is an orthodox history book that follows the Confucian Spring and Autumn(春秋), consistently describing the history based on the orthodoxy of the definite. This history book follows the moral law of the Neo-Confucianism that “the legitimacy should be raised and the hegemonism should be passed.” Zhūzǐ's Moral of Spring and Autumn, while referring to the principle of exaltation of the king, strongly demand true heart and good practice in the subject. It is a moral practice philosophy that requires reading the history of the Confucian ethics that condensed the moral values and checking itself first, and it has a practical strategy that prioritizes domestic reform. Therefore, the emperor Qiánlóng said that this book should be read as a teaching to reverence the mind according to spring and autumn. On the other hand, Yílǐjīngzhuàntōngjiě is a book about ancient rituals, but presupposes a transition to a system that responds to actual academic and practical needs or the demands of the present dynasty. This book is a rite for governance. For this reason, it follows that the system of Dàxué is out of the existing five-ritual centered system, and the contents are formed in the order of the blood family, the local village, the local government, and the kingdom. In particular, there is a school rite between rituals related to blood relatives and local rites. It is a ritual according to the stereotypical composition that it becomes an adult and goes to society after assuming a family, and it implements ideal politics after being perfect man. It is a ceremony for completing oneself and a righteous justice. This is because it follows the principle of education of Neo-Confucianism that is based on the cultivation of humanity from minor education to elite education. In Dàxué(大學)'s self-fulfillment, social practice is the principle that ethical thought is strongly demanding the morality of the subject. This is the same as Yílǐjīngzhuàntōngjiě and Zīzhìtōngjiàngāngmù. Zhūzǐ is consistent in both policy proposals put forward by Xiàozōng(孝宗) and Guāngzōng(光宗), the emperor of Sung Dynasty. In these proposals, Zhūzǐ consistently addressed the morality of the monarch and sought to establish a "regime of national discipline by renewing the character and political act of the monarch". In particular, it emphasized that the achievement of reality is achieved through the achievement of such self-cultivation or domestic reform. From the standpoint of Zhūzǐ, it can be seen that the legitimacy and authority of a monarch is not merely a monarchy, but a moral justification and social approval.
[Key words] rectification of names(正名), legitimacy(正統), practical moral law(義理), Yílǐjīngzhuàntōngjiě(儀禮經傳通解), Zīzhìtōngjiàngāngmù(資治通鑑綱目)
2. A Study on the Neo-Confucianism of Chosun dynasty – focused on the practical theory of Li(理) and the awareness of reality
In this paper, I tried to analyze the development of practical theory in Chosun dynasty, especially focused the 15th and 16th century practical Neo-Confucianism(道學) in terms of the actual meaning of Li(理). The Neo-Confucianist in early period of Chosun dynasty sought the principle of integration and leadership to be presented to the national society from the perspective of realization of self and social ideal(內聖外王). The conclusions based on this was the One(一理), worship the Li(尊理), and the same origin(一本). The mottoes of late school was also in this context. The reality is also consistent with this horizon, and the national society should be operated on the basis of the absolute and universal of this theory. The moral philosophy of Yulgok and Toegye was a practical result sought in this premise, and the various ways of practicing the doctrines of the 17th century can be concluded in this context, which can be compressed into the righteousness(義理), the real moral(世道), and edification based on the ritual(禮敎). The "one" and "worship" is a kind of practical direction because the Li(理) at this time is the standard of practice and edification. This means that they were trying to embody Neo-Confucianism into our real world.
The discussions of Chosun dynasty were progressive historical products in connection with the actual situation of Chosun dynasty. Especially, since the discussions of Neo-Confucianists reflect their historical consciousness as the orthodox school. At the core of these discussions was the discourse of ‘Li(理)’. Therefore, the discourse on Li(理) was embodied as ‘the Holy Study(聖學)’ through the practical filtration of Neo-Confucian Doctrine, that is realization of self and social ideal, and it was linked to practical discussion of ritual, righteousness and duty.
However, it is not easy for the subject to perceive Li(理), and when the partisan confrontation or the change of the age act largely as in the late Chosun Dynasty, it was a problem that it could be distorted in order to secure the political justice. The disconnection of academic exchanges between the West Party(西人) and the South Party(南人) and the disputes within each school could be understood in this context, and the reason why the West Party(西人)-the Oldman’s Party(老論) had disputed themselves there was. The securing of the Subjective(主體) in the first place led to the legitimacy of their regime. In other words, the absence of the One(一理) and the political conflict and the limits of the school vision are overlapped and it can be the reality of the controversies of the late Chosun dynasty. Inevitably, the real understanding that accompanies this reality is limited to the horizon of Li(理) only, thus limiting the two-dimensional extensibility of the practicality and ideality(不離不雜), and this has been reduced to the horizon due to their realistic understanding. It seems to have provided a motivation for the students to think about their own ideas.
Key Words : dàoxué, realization of self and social ideal, awareness of reality, the One, worship the Li
3. A Study on the Philosophical Characteristics and Political Implications of the 17th Century Korean Neo-Confucianism
Neo-Confucianists try to grasp and cope with reality on the premise of their purpose, subjective beliefs, and belief in the inherited truth. For them, the reality is the “value judgment” or the “choice”. Therefore, practice based on beliefs and standards takes precedence over realistic choices or efficient actions. This was prominent in the 17th century. This paper attempted to examine the causes of these characteristics in the vein of the history of thought.
Conflicts between the 17th-century factions and schools show ideological confrontations to secure political legitimacy or to take the lead in society or to establish the right public opinion. This responsibility countered WooAm, who took the position that people with both Neo-Confucianism of zhuxi and school orthodoxy should take responsibility, and BaekHo introduced a way of claiming that authority in the ancient Confucian Classics comes first. This led to criticism by Neo-Confucianists called ‘heresy’. When WooAm criticized ToeGye's moral philosophy, claiming that he was responsible for the formation of a moral social circumstance, academic descendents such as GalAm confronted it. When WooAm tried to bring YulGok and WooGye to the Confucian shrine, scholars inherited Toegye’s Confucianism criticized YulGok and WooGye for their behavior and academic purity. It was because they thought they were the heirs of the Neo-Confucianism of zhuxi.
The fact that BaekHo expressed interest in the philosophy of ToeGye and YulGok, while insisting on the study of ancient Confucian Classics, was driven by the interests of reality. This is because he doubted the legitimacy of the WooAm’s Neo-Confucianism, which borrowed this authority. It was the method of exercising academic and political leadership at the time that it had the power to create a social atmosphere and moral judgment by calling its own school or partisan an orthodox successor to the Neo-Confucianism of zhuxi. This is why they share a policy of authenticity, responsibility for forming a moral society, and attack of the Qing Dynasty, while criticizing the other as a heresy and taking a different position on economic and social stability.
As scholars and politicians, it was necessary to clearly provide the way for society to meet the demands of the times, but it was necessary to politically analyze how to establish a moral social atmosphere, review moral standards, and examine social ideals for the stability of people's lives. It has not been able to provide a blueprint for state operations. Only the countermeasures for each problem in reality were presented. It was not a policy competition with a philosophical background, but a political confrontation over authenticity. More advanced policy discourses are embodied in the 18th century. The 17th-century Joseon Neo-Confucianism of zhuxi is an extreme example of how public Li(理), subject's moral convictions, and historical callings can be embodied in a collapsing social order. It is necessary to consider whether this is due to changes in the times or whether it is because of Joseon, an agricultural and Confucian state.
Keywords : public opinion(世道), guarding the legitimate regime(尊王), drive out the barbarians(攘夷), Neo-Confucianism of zhuxi(道學), ancient Confucian Classics(古經)