조선후기 실학의 변증법적 전환

Abstract

This paper presents an attempt at rethinking Confucianism of Korea “here and now” by analyzing Silhak in late Joseon as it shows a dynamic self-transformation within the bigger framework of Confucianism. The dialectical transition of Silhak in late Joseon contains a process of its renewal from “Confucianism of transcendence” to “Confucianism of real world.” This study demonstrates that Silhak in late Joseon moved in a direction of emphasizing ① reality of Confucianism, ②open, experiential, and scientific inquiries, ③ context-dependent values, and ④priority of “actions” over moral values. This means that the theoretical flow of Silhak made a transition from “transcendent and conceptual inquiries of Neo-Confucianism to realistic and experiential inquiries.” This is why Silhak is an important discourse that cannot be left out in the history of Confucianism in Korea and in the rethinking of Confucianism of “here and now.” Bangye Yu Hyong-won(1622~1673), who is considered as the “progenitor of Silhak,” proposed paths applicable at the level of reality by reinterpreting the Li of Jeongju in the social principles of laws and institutions. Seongho Yi Yik(1681~1763), who is called the “middle ancestor of Silhak,” was active to open Silhak to other areas of study including the studies of Laozu and Zhuangzi, Buddhism, and Western learning, introduced scientific methods of study, and maintained empirical rationality. His viewpoint of a state implies “contextdependent” values grounded in situations. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (1762~1836),who is the “compiler of Silhak,” provided a beginning for scientific inquiries by putting an emphasis on the priority of moral “actions” and proposing a method of experiential perception. Hyegang Choi Han-ki (1803~ 1879), who served as a “bridge between Silhak and Enlightenment Ideology,” actively included natural science inquiries such as heliocentricism, Newton's physics, and the mechanistic viewpoint of the human body in his Gi-hak. These findings show that Silhak made a dialectical transition by reorganizing the spirit of self-cultivation and governing people of advanced Confucianism anew according to the changes of the times. Even though Silhak failed to cast off its skin rooted in the dimension of transcendence, its theorization of experiential and scientific knowledge that the Silhak scholars sought after embraced a variety of perspectives critically, which clears shows the philosophical evolution of Silhak. This inquiry shows why one cannot skip to arrive at Confucianism of “here and now” and why it is important to pay attention to Silhak