近代东亚儒学者对于朱子“理”概念的批判性认识 ——以伊藤仁斋、戴震、崔汉绮对于“理”的认识为中心

Abstract

Zhu Xi(1130-1200) had created a new paradigm of human, nature and society. This new paradigm has been a standard for East Asian people to perceive the world for over hundreds years. Zhu Xi's theory had been operated as a fundamental source for many Confucian scholars in creating new Neo-Confucian theories and developing new Confucian theories. These theories originated from Zhu Xi's theory, however, were not exactly the same. Scholars of China, Japan and Korea developed and criticized Zhu Xi's theory from their perspective differentiated by social condition and academic tradition. This is the reason that East Asian Confucianism encompasses both universality and uniqueness. As an example of this characteristic, the perception of ‘principle(理)’ by three scholars from East Asia will be compared and analyzed in this thesis: Ito Jinsai (1627-1705) from Edo period in 17th century, Dai Zhen (1724-1777) from Qing Dynasty in 18th century, and Hanki Choi (1803-1877) from Chosun Dynasty in 19th century. This is because the concept of principle is the core of Confucian theory. Three scholars lived in different period and country, as so their awareness of problem and theoretical system were different. Nonetheless, all of them criticized the theory of Zhu xi which was placed as the mainstream idea in their era. They denied the core concept of Zhu Xi's theory, which is principle; and this made their theories fundamentally different from Zhu Xi's. The reasons that they denied the Principle as a transcendent reason vary considerably. Ito Jinsai tried to find the truth from Dao of Ancient Chinese Confucianism which is not affected by Buddhism and Daoism. Dai Zhen found that Zhu Xi's theory was working as a social norm which justifies hierarchical social order and represses public demands most problematic. Choi Hanki tried to build ‘Kihak(气学)’, a new academic system, by reorganizing conventional Confucian theories with scientific knowledge from the West. He thought that the law of nature drawn by experiment and observation is the standard of the law of ethics and perception and also the example of the society's operating principle. These scholars perceived the limit of Zhu Xi's theory in solving the problem of their very society and tried to reconstitute his theory critically. This is how Zhu Xi’ theory is changed and developed in new directions.