현대 성리학 연구사에서 도원(道原) 류승국(柳承國)의 위상

Abstract

This study aims to examine how Dohwon Lew Seung-Kook (柳承國: 1923∼2011), a modern Confucian scholar, contributed to the Neo-Confucian studies conducted in the late 20th Century. He is one of the scholars who had great interest in the value, status, and social impact of the Neo-Confucianism among many other Eastern philosophers who were active after the national liberation in 1945. He saw Neo-Confucianism as a study that has the highly organized philosophical aspects and structures within the criteria of ‘Confucianism.’ Furthermore, he devoted himself to developing a modern significance of Neo-Confucianism. Lew is considered as one of the pioneers in the modern history of Korean Neo-Confucianism. He was extraordinary especially in examining the characteristics of the Korean Neo-Confucianism. He discovered the true nature of Korean Confucianism from the Neo-Confucianism of Toegye and Yulgok. He found that the Korean Confucianism is most distinctive for its focus on the Human Nature Theory. He stressed that the history of Neo-Confucian arguments which continued for over 3 hundred years is very exceptional in the history of world philosophies. His status as a historical researcher can be found in his contributions to changing the common flow of negative views in regards to the Neo-Confucianism, and suggesting desirable directions in modern Neo-Confucian studies and guiding younger scholars.