다산 정약용의 영명(靈明)으로서의 인간 - 마음교육을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper focuses on Jeong Yag-yong’s education of the mind to examine his vision of man as a spiritual being. As a scholar, Jeong saw the reality of Joseon, which was full of the harmfulness of profound arguments, and through his educational theory, he tried to depict a human being as a spirit with practicality. He explains that humans are endowed with good inclinations by the spirit of honor and have a moral responsibility to follow their good inclinations and practice goodness. Such an individual could establish the state of mind of jung (中) and jibjung (執中) study. For Jeong, the state of mind of jung and jibjung meant that the individual had established a state of mind that could autonomously and subjectively choose and do good under any circumstances. In particular, he explored the pedagogical implications of gyeong (敬) and gyeokmulchiji (格物致知), arising from the simhak (心學) psychology of Neo-Confucianism, and he sought to find the realization of sincerity in the individual from pedagogical methodology. Jeong suggests that study is the way to establish the foundation of the mind that enables all humans to practice goodness under the human tendency of greed and evil. For Jeong, the process of choosing good and doing good was the path to a life of sincerity (誠), realizing the heavenly destiny given to humans by sangje (上帝). Jeong’s philosophy of education provides a new educational direction in the context of Korean education, where instrumental education is prevalent. It has pedagogical implications in that it provides pedagogical standards and directions for the development of a spiritual human being who leads their own life and practices ethical goodness.