역(易)의 감응론과 유학의 공감정치

Abstract

As if to reflect the current level of distrust in Korean society, a discussion of “communication” has been actively taking place, and the argument that a platform of public discussion that respects rationality and truth needs to be formed is slowly gaining ground. In this paper, I argue that in order to have true societal communication, the premise of forming a culture of rational discussion should center on empathy for other people. To this, I will highlight that traditional Confucianism society (and its political ideology) is based on empathy for other people, with the correspondence theory of I Ching as its background. The aim of the correspondence theory is to facilitate communication between human society and the natural world through correspondence between yin and yang. The dynamics of yin and yang embodied in the natural world and human society are always in motion, which signifies the value of benevolence(仁). The interaction between two opposing parties may form balance and harmony. The five cardinal principles of morality(五倫) that govern the human relationships in a Confucian society place equilibrium in considering others at the core. Among the five principles, “parents are benevolent and children are dutiful to their parents” indicates a two-way flow of ethics, which can be interpreted as an expansion of the correspondence theory. The responsibility for such correspondence and communication typically falls onto the leader of the relationship. In the morals of the three basic principles(三綱), which are “King set a good example for his servant(君爲臣綱),” “Parents set a good example for their children.(父爲子綱)” and Husband set a good example for his wife(夫爲婦綱)”, one may see the superiority in the power structure. However, the emphasis is clearly placed on the responsibility and duty of the person in charge. The empathetic(惻隱之心) ruling by Mencius—“politics that cannot neglect other people’s pain and suffering [不忍人之政]”—as well as the ruling of “the King and the people share joy together (與民同樂)” can be seen as embodying I Ching’s correspondencetheory, which stresses relations among two parties. The politics of open communication—which all intellectuals of Chosun dynasty strived for, such as the system of Gyeong Yeon(經筵, daily seminars between the King and scholar officials) and the system of Sang So(上疏, letters of contest and appeal by the officials to the King)—are all political methodologies based on the correspondence theory. In the current political situation in Korea, it would be worth while to study with fresh eyes the principles of empathetic ruling in Confucianism and its basis, the correspondence theory of I Ching.