柳壽垣의 職分主義 신분제 개혁론 - ‘四民分業’과 ‘四民一致’를 중심으로

Abstract

This thesis is for analysis on the class system advocated by Yu Su Won, a practice based Confucianism scholar late in Joseon, who lived an unhappy life. As well known, he was belonging to Seoin Soron political group and his life as a national servant was not smoothly going due to damage from political groups' strife. In addition, he experienced the unhappiness that he became deaf due to some sickness around at his 40. His nickname Nongam (聾庵: deaf hut) also came from such hardship. On January 28th of 1741, he was appointed to Buhogun but he did not take such official job giving the excuse of his sickness and deafness. For such refusal, he wrote 「GwanJeSeoSeungDoSeol」, which was submitted to the King Yeongjo on February 28th. After reading it, however, King Yeongjo commanded him to immediately attend Gyeongyeon (a lecture with king) right that evening and he could not refuse such appointment any longer and became a national servant. Then, he had a written conversation with King Yeongjo about political groups' strife and how to keep promoting manpower. For he thought that disposal of good manpower caused by political groups' strife would harm the national benefit even if he was also a victim of political groups' strife himself too. Therefore, he thought that the class system should be reformed to abolish abuse of noble families and appoint manpower to national servants based on their capability for elimination of evil practices of his time. The characteristic of his reformism of class system is found on Job-Separation Doctrine. He thought that the nation and people became poor because four classes were not clearly divided at his time; and then he thought that Four-Class Work- Division based Job-Separation Doctrine in which all the literary/farming/manufacturing/ merchandising classes should be faithful to their class-based jobs and duties was desperately needed in order to solve the problem that the nation and people were poor.