한국 철학사전 편찬의 역사와 전망

Abstract

This article surveys the history of philosophical dictionary in Korea, discussing the issues to solve in the future. This article has limitations due to some constraints; first, there has been a dearth of preceding research on this subject; second, premodern East Asia did not have the discipline of philosophy like the modern period; third, traditional philosophy in Korea has been dealt with as part of traditional Korean studies rather than philosophy in general. And this survey excludes the cases of Buddhist dictionaries, North Korea’s dictionaries, and non-dictionary type reference works due to time and space constraints. This survey divides the compilation history of philosophical dictionary into the premodern period before 1945 and the modern period. This division bears on the languages used in dictionaries and the import of Western philosophy. And it has to be mentioned that philosophical dictionaries in the premodern period are found within traditional encyclopedias in East Asia(leishu 類書) and lexicons for classical studies. Thus this article surveys premodern dictionaries according to their feature rather than chronological order. Accordingly a philosophical dictionary written in classical Chinese during the Japanese ruling period is classified as a premodern dictionary. The modern period after 1945 is demarcated by the 1980’s; Korean society dramaticallychanged in the 1980’s and philosophical dictionaries were influenced by the change. The first half, or the period before 1980’s had the three stages. In the 1940’s and 1950’s, philosophical dictionaries written in Korean appeared first. They are the Dictionary of Philosophy translated by Baek Hyo-Won and the Dictionary of Philosophy written by Yi Jae-Hun. In the 1960’s, grand and concise dictionaries on philosophy including East Asian thought were published. The modern type of philosophical dictionary has been established on this stage. In 1970’s, philosophical dictionaries were published as part of encyclopedias and multi-volumed series on humanities. The second half had the three stages too. The first stage, or the 1980’s was a period of social movement and ideology, and the trend of philosophical dictionary compilation reflect the atmosphere of the period. Dictionaries on Marxism from the West and the East Europe and North Korea’s dictionaries were translated and published. In the 1990’s, philosophical dictionaries were diversified and deepened academically. After 2000, we see the expansion and popularization of philosophical dictionary. Various Japanese dictionaries have been translated, and many dictionaries use such titles as ‘concepts’ and ‘key words.’ Various dictionaries on East Asian philosophy have been published too. The publication of the Dictionary on Philosophy based on Korean language is a notable work during this period. At the end, this article makes suggestions for the compilation of philosophical dictionary inKorea; first, diversification in type is needed; second, a study to improve the structure ofdictionary is required; third, to secure both academic quality and popularity is needed; fourth,non-dictionary type reference works are also worth attention; fifth, we need to pay attention totranslating and introducing of Korea’s academic achievement abroad; last but not least, moreefforts to compile good dictionaries need to be put by the government and society.