퇴계의 정학에서 본 인성교육의 방법적 특징

Abstract

This research considers Toegye(退溪)’s philosophy and Sung-Hak(聖學) from the perspective of personality education. For Toegye, Sung-Hak was the highest value and goal of education; as such, Toegye revered Jung-Hak(正學) while, at the same time, denouncing Sok-Hak(俗學). Toegye condemned pursuit of practical gain like Gwa-geo(科擧) and literature as well as heresy like Buddhism and Daoism. He fully embraced Geo-Gyeong-Goong-Li (居敬窮理), which puts emphasis on research and contemplation, and Yip-Ji(立志), by which to cultivate one’s personality. Geo-Gyeong is a subjective method of cultivating one’s inner mind; Goong-Li objective one of responding to external objects. Geo-Gyeong requires preserving Do-Shim(道心), cultivating one’s nature, the main part of mind, recovering lost conscience, trying to recover one’s nature) through preventing the distraction of the mind by selfish interests, and always reflecting on oneself. Goong-Li requires a commitment to diligent reading in order to understand the works of saints, contemplation in order to see through one’s mind, Gyeok-Mool(格物) in order to find principles of things, and search for and acting in accordance with Eui-Li(義 理). Geo-Gyeong and Goong-Li, as such, must achieve a state of harmony as well as independence, for they unfold and reveal each other. In the process of Geo-Gyeong-Goong-Li, Toegye employed both analytic method, called Boon-Gae(分開), and synthetic method, called Hon-Lyun(渾淪). Such employment reveals what human being is through a joint-task of studying and contemplating, unity of mind and principles of things, self-complacency, the achievement of the level of saints, and harmony between the external and inner side. As such, the process of Sung-Hak of Toegye admits implications that are significant for method of modern personality education. The implications are: we should think carefully about, first, an education that cultivates well-rounded personality through unity between moral education and knowledge education; second, the meaning of subjective and objective method in personality education; third, capacity of analyzing and synthesizing the content of personality education; fourth, the process of personality education through setting up the stages of Sung-Hak.