인류세 논의의 ‘유학적’ 의미

Abstract

I have a dream! This thesis starts from the problem awareness, 'What is the Confucian meaning of the Anthropocene discussion?' To solve this problem, first of all, the Anthropocene is defined as the era in which the Heavenly Way collapsed from a Confucian point of view. Next, this paper introduces academic discussions about the emergence of the term Anthropocene, the controversy over alternative terms, and the beginning of the Anthropocene. It also examines the implications of post-anthropocentrism and new anthropocentrism, two axes of the Anthropocene discussion. The Anthropocene, an era of climate catastrophe, is the result of human predation of the Earth. Humans are responsible for the collapse of the Earth's autonomous system, but it is ultimately up to humans to restore it. Fortunately, Confucian thinking places humans as partners in their participation in the nurturing of all things, along with heaven and earth. Therefore, this thesis asserts that human beings are responsible for taking part in the nurture of all things as partners of the earth. This position is not anthropocentrism derived from the dichotomous view of nature in the past in the West. It is an attempt to seek and secure a new anthropocentrism from a Confucian perspective. The fulfillment of this duty begins with knowing and putting into practice which is the heavenly principle to save the earth in the daily life of the Anthropocene. The homeostasis of distinguishing between the heavenly and the humanistic in everyday life is to embody the nature of the earth (the non-human world) as nature, including the sky and the earth. This paper argues that it is a shortcut to help the Earth create all things by such an autonomous system, while maintaining homeostasis again.