성호학파 격물관(格物觀)을 통해 본 격물궁리(格物窮理) 전통의 변동

Abstract

This study examines the process of changing the traditions of the former Korean Confucian academia`s “investigation of things” by Sungho School, which encountered “Gewuqionglizhixue” from texts for Western Learning written in Chinese. Zhu Xi`s educational system based on Elementary Learning-Great Learning structure and its methodology of “Gewu” and “Qiongli”, the basis of the tradition of “investigation of things” in Korean Neo-Confucianism, were also adopted by Jesuit missionaries to explain their academic system. And as a result, “Gewuqionglizhixue” was used by Jesuit missionaries as a equivalent for their acadenic term “Philosophia”. However, Jesuit missionaries` academic term “Gewuqiongli” broke with the premise of Zhu Xi`s “Liyi-Fenshu” for “investigation of things” because they denied the Neo-Confucian notion of "Li", and was separated from the foundation of moral practice to be studied through Elemnetary Learning due to differences in prior learning required before “Gewuqiongli”. For Korean Confucian scholars who are familiar with Zhu Xi`s doctrine for “Gewu”, it is clear that the Western "Gewuqiongli" may have been understood as a study methodology with a high risk of flowing into a discipline lacking moral practice. Scholars of the Seongho School, who encountered books for Western Learning written in Chinese, tried to preserve the moral and epistemological characteristics, which are the essence of the tradition of “investigation of things”. However, most Sungho School seem to break up with the “Gewuqiongli” of Zhu Xi's studies in a form that does not follow Zhu Xi's Commentaries of Great Learning. Shin Hudam, who first criticized Western Learning, understood the “Gewu” in the context of first edition of Great Learning before Zhu Xi`s re-editing, and those who were open to Western Learning such as Jeongsan Yi Byunghyu and Nokam Kwon Cheolshin also pointed out the weakness of the Zhu Xi`s view on “Gewu” and argued their theory in a similar way to Shin Hudam. They first tried to solve the problems inherent in the tradition of “investigation of things” itself as there was a possibility that traditional concept of “Gewu” could be misunderstood as a lack of moral practice. Their view on “Gewu” is an example of the dynamics of the late Joseon Dynasty's intellectual history, at least in that it makes us think about the direction of the problem consciousness that Sungho Yi Ik had while insisting on the multi-layered understanding for “Gewu”.