고전 교양교육을 위한 「논어」 탐색 - 인성교육적 접근

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop proper approach for liberal arts education of the Analects in universities, so as to overcome the old way to teach it with too much emphasis on moral admonitions and practical wisdoms. We should focus on theoretical topics or questions in the Analects, which are presented in wide range of various disciplines such as politics, ethics, arts and education, etc. Unlike the old ‘Virtue-centered’ teaching, ‘Question-centered’ teaching enables students to investigate the meaning of human life and world around them and to understand it in more sophisticated and comprehensive perspectives. As three examples of lectures show, this model of teaching involves the Neo-Confucianists’ commentaries on the Analects accumulated in the long history and other related literatures. Those two ways of teaching are respectively founded upon ‘Rationality-model’ and ‘Spontaneity-model’ of morality itself. According to ‘Rationality-model’, the ultimate criteria of morality is already given before human practices, and is performed by each moral behavior. On the contrary, ‘Spontaneity-model’ regards that there exits no final explicit criteria of morality because it lies in transcendent realm without any fixed contents. Once we acquire the morality, which is possible only to the sage, every act and speech of ours spontaneously reveals the final criteria. To cultivate this kind of morality or humanity, reflective thinking with questions and discussions is critically important. It is through liberal arts education that modern university can play its genuine role to develop humanities in this rapidly changing modern society.