성호학파의 관직 진출과 부자유친

Abstract

Affection between father and son (Bujayuchin, 父子有親) is one of the Five Moral Rules (O-ryun), which means there must be close bonding between father and son, and between parents and their offspring in a broader sense. This paper looks at the bond between father and son in Seongho School from the social perspective of a “father’s roles on their son’s advances to governmental posts.”The Seongho school, which followed Seongho Yi Ik as it’s leader, was formed on the relationship of masters and disciples and was a representative Silhak School which advocated for social reform in the late Joseon Dynasty. They turned the scholars’ academic interests, which had previously concentrated on theoretical studies such as the sense of comfort and the nature of space order, into political realities such as politics and economy. They tried to figure out the social ills in society and reform Joseon by studying Confucian Classics and writing on the management of state affairs. How was the Seongho School scholars’ great aspiration of reforming the deteriorating Joseon society realized by their family and sons, and how did their aspiration to teach their sons allow them to enter into government service? How did they manage to balance their aspirations as statesmen and their roles at home? These things would not be irrelevant to the authenticity of their aspirations. In the Joseon Dynasty where most jobs in government were achieved through the state examination, how did the scholars take action and engage in their sons’ study? This paper finds answers to these questions from the perspective of Seongho School’s scholars such as Seongho Yi Ik, Sunam An Jeong-bok, and Dasan Jeong Yak-yong.