도덕감정과 도덕본성의 관계: 퇴계의 문제의식에 대한 검토

Abstract

Moral emotions can be identified through humans’ cognitive ability; however, there exists a state of heart-mind (心) where emotions are not yet revealed—this can be called moral nature or unexpressed heart-mind and cannot be identified easily. While the term “Seven Emotions” (七情) is commonly used in Confucianism to refer to all moral feelings, Mengzi’s “Four Beginnings” or “Four Clues” (四端) was originally suggested as a temporary way to infer humanity’s moral nature. It is therefore meaningless to discuss the Four Beginnings without considering their relationship to humanity’s moral nature. Using li-gi (理氣) theory to explain humans’ moral nature and emotions, Zhu Xi was able to consistently illustrate both areas’ structures and functions and bridge the deep gap between the cognizable realm of moral emotions and the noncognizable realm of moral nature. As a result of Zhu Xi’s work, the appropriateness of moral norms could secure the same degree of inevitability as the laws of nature. However, Zhu Xi’s theory could not elucidate human moral spontaneity or ethical desire that Mengzi tried to illustrate with his Four Beginnings. This is because what Mengzi wrote about was not emotions as physical actions that could be explained by the function of gi (氣), but instead the spontaneous human desire of moral nature that originates from li (理). Toegye Yi Hwang (退溪 李滉) believed the moral spontaneity of heart-mind was the starting point to realizing an ideal Neo-Confuciansociety. Grappling with how to express the spontaneity of moral nature through the Four-Seven Debates with Gobong Gi Daeseung (高峯 奇大升), Toegye proposed the proposition “li issues” (理發). After the debates, while discussing the interpretation of mulgyeok (物格), he suggested another proposition: “li comes by itself” (理自到). By combining li as a metaphysical concept - meaning principle and norms - with predicate verbs such as “issue” and “come by itself,” which are used to delineate the phenomenal world, Toegye was able to utilize self-motivation or man’s own ethical desire as a starting point to realize the morally ideal Neo-Confucian society. After Toegye, Joseon Dynasty scholars, including Gobong and Yulgok Yi I (栗谷 李珥), studied and discussed the functions of the natural principle and humanity’s moral nature, regardless of whether they agreed with Toegye. His ideas eventually had a tremendous effect on the development of Joseon Confucianism.