Four-Seven Debate Research Articles

퇴계 감정이해방식과 적용에 관한 연구 - 퇴계 리발기수 개념의 창조적 변용과 확장 -

Toegye is a thorough theorist on the basis of Neo-Confucianism, but he can be seen as a representative thinker who brought the philosophical characteristics mainly appearing in the history of Chinese philosophy, the cosmological characteristics centered on the concept of selfishness, to the theory of human nature and emotions, the realm of human nature and emotion. Toegye deepened this further, and made an unprecedented argument in the history of intellectuals, namely, Gobong and the four main emotions, regarding the understanding of the emotions called the four main emotions expressed in the pure nature and the emotions called the seven emotions expressed in the nature that was enshrined in the spirit and revealed through learning ten diagrams to become a saint ｢聖學十圖｣ and the Four Seven Debate that emotions must also be rational in the theory of nature, which is the core of Neo-Confucianism.
 In this paper, along with a conceptual analysis of Toegye's way of understanding emotions, we try to make creative transformation and expansion by applying it to the main concepts shown in the a Variorum of the Four Books(四書集註), which can be said to be the representative scriptures of Confucianism. There are often questionable passages among the contents that are generally introduced while reading librarians, but there are times when I wonder if it is not possible to present different judgments and thoughts due to the professional authority and weight. In fact, to mention it by leaps and bounds, violence against knowledge power is also implied in its source.
 However, Toegye's method of understanding emotions is of great significance in that it analyzes and corrects the method of understanding our daily thinking structure, rather than simply dealing with it as a subject of the Four-Seven Debate argument. Therefore, in this paper, by examining some of the major concepts of the librarian with Toegye's way of understanding emotions, that is, with Toegye's logical structure of thought, we can transform our thinking structure in dealing with things and situations into a thinking structure toward the truth, a true philosophy (Philo + Sophia) to try to convert to thinking.

The Moral and Religious Thought of Yi Hwang (Toegye): A Study of Korean Neo-Confucian Ethics and Spirituality by Edward Y.J. Ching (review)

Reviewed by: The Moral and Religious Thought of Yi Hwang (Toegye): A Study of Korean Neo-Confucian Ethics and Spirituality by Edward Y.J. Ching Maria Hasfeldt Long (bio) The Moral and Religious Thought of Yi Hwang (Toegye): A Study of Korean Neo-Confucian Ethics and Spirituality. By Edward Y.J. Ching. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021. Pp. vii + 204. Hardcover $99.00, isbn 978-3-030-77923-8. In recent years, the study of Korean Neo-Confucianism as an international field has been growing exponentially. Compared to former decades, the number of international publications has grown significantly over the last ten years, with Edward Y.J. Chung as one of the most active scholars. The Moral and Religious Thought of Yi Hwang (Toegye): A Study of Korean Neo-Confucian Ethics and Spirituality is the culmination of an almost decade-long study of the Korean Neo-Confucian scholar, Yi Hwang Toegye (1501–1570). With a focus on the moral and spiritual aspects of the theories of Toegye, Chung maps out a brilliant overview of the philosopher's worldview and literary works. Chung's primary objective is to provide "thought-provoking" and fresh insights into one of the most important Korean Neo-Confucian thinkers in history, as well as shed light on Neo-Confucian thought in general and how Toegye's philosophy in particular can be relevant in modern interreligious dialogues (p. 149). Consisting of ten chapters, where each chapter could serve as an individual article, Chung takes the reader through the core concepts of Toegye and his development of a form of self-cultivation different from the Chinese Neo-Confucian idea of self-cultivation. This together created a holistic religious worldview with a strong spiritual dimension, which manifests through selfcultivation practices. The first two chapters introduce Toegye and the historical context of 16th-century Joseon-dynasty Korea (1392–1910); his understanding of the Neo-Confucian tradition as the true learning; and his rejection of Daoism and Buddhism. With the reader introduced to the immediate historical context and Neo-Confucian discourse of the time, the following three chapters cover Toegye's religious and moral understanding of the relationship between the Heavenly Principle (C. tianli, K. cheolli) and human nature (C. renxing, K. inseong). Furthermore, Chung covers the moral-spiritual implications that the Four-Seven Debate had on Toegye's later practical self-cultivation for becoming a sage. In short, the debate concerns the relation between the "four sprouts" of human characteristics as first described by Mengzi (ca. 371–289 BCE) and the seven human emotions mentioned in various classical texts. Toegye believed in the doctrine that the "experience of Heaven was within oneself" (p. 47). Therefore, [End Page 1] to become a sage, one would have to commit to the active practice of an inner feeling of reverence (C. jing, K. gyeong) daily. Chapter six dives into the spiritual practice of self-reflection and mind cultivation (C. xinxue, K. simhak), which was an ongoing process that would lead the practitioner closer to sagehood. The seventh chapter focuses on how this spiritual dimension of Toegye's doctrine is relevant to broader discussions of ecology today. With a strong love for nature, Toegye incorporated the idea of nature within his spiritual self-cultivation, which Chung elaborates on. It was important for the human being to be in harmony with Heaven, earth, and all myriad things. This meant respecting and spending time in nature also played a part in the daily practice of spiritual self-cultivation. Moving on, in chapters eight and nine, Chung presents a comparative study on the philosophical and theological question of how to transcend evil, as well as the matter of interreligious dialogue. By way of a textual-interpretive approach, Chung compares Toegye's thought with Christian contra Buddhist theological ideas and how these findings can help develop an interreligious approach. In chapter nine, Chung suggests that the idea of self-transcendence through self-cultivation can be the ultimate reality. In this chapter, Chung wants to break with the tendency in interreligious dialogue where many scholars rely heavily on Christian theological terms. Chung introduces Neo-Confucian concepts and terms, especially the terms used by Toegye. The last and concluding chapter...

Jeong Hagok on Emotions and the Korean Four-Seven Debate: A Confucian, Comparative, and Contemporary Interpretation

This article presents Jeong Jedu (Hagok; 1649–1736) on the topic of emotions and its comparative and contemporary relevance. It discusses this leading neo-Confucian thinker’s thought-provoking Four-Seven thesis and its vital implication for self-cultivation and ethics. This important topic has not been discussed in current scholarship on Korean Confucianism. The article begins with the Confucian notion of emotions (jeong/qing, 情), according to its textual and philosophical background in the Chinese tradition, and then covers key issues regarding the “Four Beginnings” of virtue, the “Seven Emotions”, and leading neo-Confucian perspectives by Zhu Xi (1130–1200) and Wang Yangming (1472–1529). The article also provides a brief comparative analysis of Toegye’s and Yulgok’s leading Korean opinions on the nature, role, and problem of emotions. The third section focuses on Hagok’s interpretation in the same context. The fourth section discusses Hagok’s ethics and spirituality of emotions in terms of the mind’s original essence (bonche/benti) and innate knowledge (of good) (yangji/liangzhi) in connection to Wang Yangming’s doctrines. The final section concludes by considering the originality and distinctiveness of Hagok’s holistic interpretation. It also presents my contemporary reflections to articulate how Hagok’s groundbreaking insights compare with certain Western theories of emotions and why they offer a worthwhile resource for comparative philosophy, religion, and ethics.

Metaphors in Neo-Confucian Korean philosophy

Abstract A metaphor is an effective way to show how something is to be conceived. In this article, I look at two Neo-Confucian Korean philosophical contexts—the Four-Seven debate and Book of the Imperial Pivot—and suggest that metaphors are philosophically expedient in two further contexts: when both intellect and emotion must be addressed; and when the aim of philosophizing is to produce behavioral change. Because Neo-Confucians had a conception of the mind that closely connected it to the heart (心 xin), metaphor’s empathy-inducing and perspective-giving capacities made it an especially helpful mode of philosophizing in the history of Korean philosophy.

Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea by Kevin N. Cawley

Reviewed by: Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea by Kevin N. Cawley Yeonwoo Joh Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea by Kevin N. Cawley. New York: Routledge, 2019. xxiii, 197 pp. Kevin N. Cawley’s Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea is the latest introductory text in a growing list of English studies on Korean religion and philosophy. It traces the historical development of Korean intellectual traditions, focusing on key figures, concepts, and texts. By referencing up-to-date studies and making occasional comparisons with the theories of Western philosophers such as Derrida and Heidegger, Cawley provides Western readers with a concise and readable overview of the history of religion and philosophy in Korea. Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea consists of six chapters, as well as a prologue and an epilogue. In the first chapter, Cawley acknowledges the Western connotations of the categories “religion” and “philosophy” while introducing an alternative term, “pathway,” to better refer to the individual traditions of Korean religion based on the concept of Dao [K. Do] 道. His description of each pathway as a “route to becoming a better person” (2) effectively demonstrates how religion in Korea represented a modus vivendi of sorts, rather than an adherence to a certain dogma or faith. He then provides an overview of the main religious traditions of Korea: Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and Shamanism. In Chapter 2, Cawley begins his journey through Korea’s extensive intellectual history. Opening with the cultural significance of the Tan’gun [Dangun] myth and describing the arrival and development of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms period, this section culminates with a detailed look into the texts and ideas of Wŏnhyo [Wonhyo] and Ŭisang [Uisang], two extremely influential Buddhist monks of early Korea. Chapter 3 covers the progress of Korea’s intellectual history, spanning from [End Page 411] the emergence of Sŏn [Seon] Buddhism during the Unified Silla period to the founding of the Chosŏn [Joseon] dynasty. Cawley illustrates the dynamic religious landscape of Koryŏ [Goryeo], focusing especially on the conflict between the numerous Buddhist schools by introducing the ideas of Ŭich’ŏn [Uicheon] and Chinul [Jinul], two monks who attempted to reconcile the textual Kyo [Gyo] lineages and the meditative Sŏn lineages in different ways. Cawley then moves on to the rise of Neo-Confucianism and the subsequent dynastic transition from Koryŏ to Chosŏn. Here, Cawley examines the conflicting views of the Confucian scholar Chŏng Tojŏn [Jeong Dojeon] and the Sŏn monk Kihwa [Gihwa], and presents Confucian critiques of Shamanism to highlight the establishment of Confucianism as a unified, exclusive state ideology. Chapter 4 further elaborates on this “Chosŏn Confucian ideology” through the philosophies of T’oegye [Toegye] and Yulgok. Following their contributions to the metaphysical Four-Seven debate, Cawley discusses the arrival of Western teachings and Catholicism. He emphasizes the role of women and the Chŏng [Jeong] brothers in the development of the early Catholic church in Korea, and provides a close examination of Tasan Chŏng Yag’yong’s [Dasan Jeong Yagyong] texts in particular, stressing the “Christo-Confucian transcultural transformation” (111) that took place. Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the emergence of new religions in a more modern, changing cultural context, the first being Ch’oe Che-u’s [Choe Jeu] Tonghak [Donghak] (Eastern Learning), which arose in response to the influence of Sŏhak [Seohak] (Western Learning). Other new religions such as Chŭngsando [Jeungsando], Daesoon Jinrihoe [Daesun jillihoe], and Taejonggyo [Daejonggyo] are also introduced. Cawley goes on to explain the development of early Protestantism in Korea and the active role women played in propagating it. Chapter 6 explores the survival and change of Korean religious traditions throughout the period of Japanese colonial rule and its aftermath. After briefly looking into some of the more recent religious movements, Cawley concludes his journey through Korean history with a special emphasis on the persistent influence of Shamanism, as it finds ways to adapt to the increasingly technology-driven modern era. Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea is commendable first and foremost for its readability. Surprisingly dense for a book of its length, it is well-organized and presented in a clear, coherent...

Yi T’oegye on Transcending the Problem of Evil: A Neo-Confucian and Interreligious Perspective

Evil is a key concept in Confucianism and other world religions. The problem of evil is therefore central to our interreligious discussion of human nature and the world. In Western scholarship, however, Confucian moral idealism is occasionally criticized for being too optimistic or unable to articulate the nature of evil; it is philosophically or theologically weak, also due to the absence of an omnipotent, omniscient God (divine law-giver). If we take the Confucian doctrine of innate human goodness for granted, how do we explain the active presence of evil in the human world? This article discusses the heart of T’oegye’s thought by focusing on the problem of evil and the way to transcend it. Yi Hwang 李滉 (T’oegye 退溪, 1501– 1570) was an eminent Korean thinker who greatly influenced Neo-Confucian ethics and spirituality. By using a textual and interpretive approach, I present his major works including the Sŏnghak sipto 聖學十圖 (Ten diagrams on sage learning), Chasŏngnok 自省錄 (Record of self-reflection), and “Four-Seven Debate Letters.” T’oegye eloquently criticized the origin of moral evil and emphasized a selftranscending way to remove evil and do good. What is important about his interpretation and how does it enrich our global understanding of good and evil? I conclude by considering this and related questions from a comparative and interreligious standpoint.

An Ethical Understanding on Ugye & Yulgok's Four-Seven Debate - ompromise of motivic and consequentic standpoint, and confrontation between consequentic standpoints -

이 논문은 우계ㆍ율곡의 사칠논변을 윤리이론의 관점에서 이해해보려는 시론이다. 우ㆍ율 사칠논변은 우계의 절충적(가치론 강조의 존재론) 고찰방식과 율곡의 존재론적 고찰방식, 그리고 우계의 절충적(동기론 강조의 결과론) 관점과 율곡의 결과론적 관점이 대립된 결과라고 볼 수 있다. 우ㆍ율 사칠논변은 인심ㆍ도심의 문제가 중심이 되었는데, 인심ㆍ도심과 사단ㆍ칠정을 각각 리ㆍ기의 발용으로 대거(對擧)하여 보는 관점의 정당성 여부를 심성론과 리기론에 걸쳐 논의한 것이 이 논변의 주된 내용이다. 양자의 사단칠정에 대한 견해는 그들의 리기론에서 단적으로 나타난다. 우계의 리기일발(理氣一發)은 리기와 성정(性情)에 대한 절충적인 관점을 보여준다. 그의 리기일발은 리기의 존재양상을 존재론적으로 고찰하여 리기의 동시적 존재와 작용을 인정한다. 하지만 리기가 성정(性情)으로 발용할 때는 주리(主理)ㆍ주기(主氣)의 구분을 인정하여, 리기에서 비롯된 성정이 선 또는 악으로 흐를 수 있다는 가치론적 고찰의 모습도 찾아볼 수 있다. 우계의 리기일발에는 존재론적 고찰보다 가치론적 고찰이 보다 강조되어 나타난다. 이러한 우계의 사칠논변에 관한 주장은 당연히 동기론적 관점과 결과론적 관점이 절충된 형태로 나타난다. 이에 반해 율곡의 기발리승일도(氣發理乘一途)는 존재론적인 고찰을 통한 결과론적 관점이라고 할 수 있다. 이것은 그가 리ㆍ기, 사단ㆍ칠정 등에 가치적인 분별을 전제하지 않고, 오직 기의 현상적인 발용으로 파악하기 때문이며, 리ㆍ기와 사단ㆍ칠정을 존재론적으로 고찰하는 그의 주장은 결과론적 관점에 해당된다고 하겠다.This thesis is a try to understand the Ugye & Yulgok s Four-Seven Debate from the ethical standpoint. Ugye & Yulgok s Four-Seven Debate might be the result of confrontation between Ugye s compromising way (ontology emphasizing axiology) of consideration and Yulgok s way of ontological consideration, and between Ugye compromising (consequentism emphasizing motivism) standpoint and Yulgok s consequentic standpoint. There are issues of human mind and moral mind at the center of Ugye & Yulgok s Four-Seven Debate. It is the main content of the debate to discuss the legitimacy or not of the standpoint that regards the human mind and moral mind, and Four Bases(四端) and Seven Feelings(七情) as manifestation of Li and Qi(理氣) respectively over the theory of Mind and theory of Cosmos. Both of their standpoint on Four Bases(四端) and Seven Feelings(七情) appears in their theory of Cosmos directly. Ugye s Likiilbal(理氣一發) shows his compromising standpoint on Liqi(理氣) and human nature and emotion(性情). His Likiilbal(理氣一發) recognizes the simultaneous existence and operation of Liqi(理氣) by considering its aspect of existence ontologically. However, when the Liqi(理氣) appears as human nature and emotion(性情), the distinction between Churi(主理) and Chuki(主氣) is recognized, and the axiological consideration is also found out that the human nature and emotion(性情), which results from Liqi(理氣), could lead to the good or the evil. In Ugye s Likiilbal(理氣一發), the axiological consideration is more emphasized than the ontological consideration. In Ugye s argument on Four-Seven Debate, no wonder the motivic standpoint and consequentic standpoint appear in the compromised form. On the contrary, Yulgok s Giballiseungildo(氣發理乘一途) might be said a consequentic standpoint through ontological consideration. It is because he regards the Liqi(理氣), Four bases(四端) and Seven Feelings(七情) only as a phenomenological manifestation, not setting forth a premise of axiological distinction. His argument and ontological consideration of the Liqi(理氣), Four bases(四端) and Seven Feelings(七情) might come under a consequentic standpoint.

Chinese and Taiwanese Scholars’ Perspectives on Toegye: In the Case of Interpretations on the Four-Seven Debate of Zhang Liwen, Li Minghui and Lin Yuehui

随着中韩关系的发展和学术交流的加深, 中国不仅涌现了多位退溪学者, 也诞生了 多本退溪学专著、优质的研究课题、计划和退溪论文｡ 本文首先简单介绍两岸的退溪学 研究概况和特征, 接着以大陆学者张立文和台湾学者李明辉、林月惠对四端七情的考 察为例, 比较两岸代表学者在退溪理气论、心性论认识上的异同, 并指出产生差异的最 根本的原因是对朱学的理解不同｡ 最后, 试图从修养论方面探析退溪理发说的现实意 图, 为退溪理发说提供一个整合性的视角｡Following the improved relation and academic exchange between China and Korea, there is not only a rise in the number of Toegye scholars, but also an increase of professional books, research tasks and plans, and theoretical papers on Toegye in China. This paper first briefly introduces the general trend and characteristics of Toegye researches in China and Taiwan. And based on three interpretations on the Four-Seven debate made by prominent Chinese and Taiwanese scholars-Zhang Liwen (Chinese), and Li Minghui, Lin Yuehui (Taiwanese)-, the comparison among three scholars’ understanding on Toegye’s Li (理)-Ki (氣) theory and Heart-mind (心)-Nature (性) theory will follow. Then, the analysis showing the fundamental reason they see Toegye differently will be made that it is due to their contrastive understandings on Zhu Xi. Last but not least, I would like to give a consistent interpretation of Toegye’s explanation on the manifestation of li (理发) by focusing on the practical implication presented in his self-cultivation theory.

Study on Seong-ho's Criticism of Toegye's View on the Four-Seven Debate

Study on Seong-ho's Criticism of Toegye's View on the Four-Seven Debate

The Dissolution of Four-Seven Debate and Unification of Goodness

The Dissolution of Four-Seven Debate and Unification of Goodness

Existential Dimensions of Korean Neo-Confucianism: The Status of Emotions in the Four-Seven Debate

This article presents an existential reading of the famous Four-Seven Debate ( Siqi Lunzheng 四七論爭). In particular, it approaches the Debate with specific attention to the ways in which it isolated and problematized the human individual situation in communal life. It attempts to analyze the diverse perspectives that were brought into the Debate, and to demonstrate that there was a sophisticated system, with many variations and movements, that informed Korean understandings of how to manage emotions as within the context of sage learning ( shengxue 聖學). This study also seeks to uncover the underlying therapeutic measures for treating wayward emotions that were an underlying component at play in all of the important contributions made throughout the many twists and turns within the Debate.

愚潭 丁時翰의 『四七辨證』과 心法 - 퇴계학과 율곡학의 심법 비교

愚潭 丁時翰의 『四七辨證』과 心法 - 퇴계학과 율곡학의 심법 비교

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CONCEPT OF MIBAL 未發 IN THE HORAK DEBATE

The eighteenth-century Neo-Confucian scholars in Korea were deeply concerned with two questions, namely, whether human nature and non-human nature are the same or not and whether all human nature is the same or not. In answering the second question, they focused on the moral nature of mibalsimche 未發心體 by asking whether the state of the mind or mind-substance before the arousal of feelings (or thoughts) is morally good or not. As noted, in Neo-Confucianism the unaroused state of feelings chŏng情 is generally identified with a state of nature sŏng性 which is pure and clear, and which is therefore characterized as morally good. However, Korean Neo-Confucian scholars noticed that this characterization could be controversial since the account of the unaroused state given by the Chinese Neo-Confucian, Zhu Xi, was not clear enough, but ambiguous. The problem of mibal was a matter of interest since the Four-Seven Debate in the sixteenth century in Korea, and it once again became the subject of intense contention in the eighteenth-century debate between Yi Kan and Han Wŏn-jin, who endeavored to reveal the exact moral characteristics of human nature in terms of the qualities of human constituents, i.e. li and ki. In what follows, I shall begin by examining Zhu Xi’s diverse accounts of mibal, show the emergence of the problem of mibal in the Four-Seven Debate between Yi Hwang and Yi I, and, finally, discuss the moral nature in the state of mibal presented by Yi Kan and Han Wŏn-jin.

The Problem of the Sadanpujungjŏl 四端不中節 in the Four-Seven Debate

The “Four-Seven Debate” primarily refers to the debate between Yi Hwang and Ki Dae-seung in sixteenth-century Korea. The debate is generally known as an attempt to explain the Four Beginnings and the Seven Feelings in terms of li and ki. However, this essay suggests that it was meant to explain not their origin but the origin of their moral characteristics. With this in mind, the focus here will be on analyzing the relationship between the Four and the Seven and, in particular, on Kobong’s remarks on Sadanpujungjŏl.

The Historical Significance and Contemporary Relevance of the Four-Seven Debate

This essay concerns some of the ways that the Four-Seven Debate, as represented by the extensive and systematic exchanges between Yi Hwang 李­滉 (Toegye 退溪) (1501–1570) and Gi Dae-seung 奇大升 (Gobong 高峰) (1527–1572) and further developed in the correspondence between Seong Hon 成渾 (Ugye 牛溪) (1535–1598) and Yi I 李珥 (Yulgok 栗谷) (1536–1584), has been and remains philosophically significant for people today. It first attempts to describe why those involved in the Four-Seven Debate took it so seriously and were inspired to produce such a remarkable legacy. It then endeavors to show how the debate relates to issues that have been explored by important thinkers within the Western philosophical tradition and how these remain problems for contemporary moral metaphysics and moral psychology.

Zhu Xi, the Four-Seven Debate, and Wittgenstein’s Dilemma

The scholarly consensus on Zhu Xi is that he is brilliant but often unclear, and perhaps even inconsistent, especially with regard to the central concept of li (principle). Any interpretation of his system requires a certain amount of creative reconstruction. The purpose of this essay is to examine the attempts to elucidate Zhu Xi’s doctrine of li over the course of the Four-Seven Debate. It will be seen that the Korean philosophers T’oegye and Yulgok provide competing but complementary explanations of a pivotal issue in Zhu’s moral metaphysics, namely how the li can serve as a standard for moral goodness. However, they both stand in a certain amount of tension, not only with each other but with Zhu himself. It is hoped to show that by juxtaposing the two reconstructions the philosophical problem that arises for Zhu, and for anyone attempting a similar project, can be clarified.

A Research on the differences in interpretation of the same references between Toegye and Gobong - Centering on the book of Four-Seven Debate -

A Research on the differences in interpretation of the same references between Toegye and Gobong - Centering on the book of Four-Seven Debate -

A Complict of Opinion about “The Four Beginnings is nothing but Good[無不善] and involves both Good and Evil[有善惡]” on the Four-Seven Debate between T’oegye and Kobong

A Complict of Opinion about “The Four Beginnings is nothing but Good[無不善] and involves both Good and Evil[有善惡]” on the Four-Seven Debate between T’oegye and Kobong

Jang Hyeongwang's Theories Through Comparing with Toegye Philosophy: Focused on Four-Seven Debate

Jang Hyeongwang's Theories Through Comparing with Toegye Philosophy: Focused on Four-Seven Debate

A Philosophical Analysis of the Concept “Bal/Fa 發” in the Four-Seven Debate between Toegye and Gobong

A Philosophical Analysis of the Concept “Bal/Fa 發” in the Four-Seven Debate between Toegye and Gobong