조선후기 실학파의 ‘民’에 대한 인식과 정치권력론의 새로운 지평 – 民本主義에서 民權主義로의 새로운 패러다임의 전환 –

Abstract

This study is to explain the process that Silkhak School's cognition on 'People' and theory of political power transferred from MinBon-Ism (民本主義: an idea that the people is the base of the power) to MinGwon-Ism (民權主義: an idea that the power is somewhat belonging to the people) late in Chosun dynasty. I think that the biggest core of the political system reform theories late in Chosun dynasty is based on the cognition on 'People' and the issue whether the political power is 'belonging to the king' or 'belonging to the people'. Simply, this issue was controversial between MinBon-Ism claiming that the people was the base of the power and MinGwon-Ism claiming that the power was somewhat belonging to the people. In Confucianism, the tradition of 'MinBon (民本: People is the base of the power)' and 'WiMin (爲民: caring the people)' started already before Confucius; it started from Poetry (詩) and Letter-Writing (書), and it took a position as an important social idea of Confucianism in the thought of 'MinGwiGunGyeong (民貴君輕: The king is lighter than the people who is valuable)' stated by Mencius. Therefore, once he was a Confucian scholar in Chosun as well as in China, he could not help but state MinBon-Ism. There was, however, some difference between the MinBon-Ism before Silhak School and that of Silhak School. It was upgraded to the Idea of MinGwon especially by Dasan, which can be seen in Tangron by Dasan. Dasan upgraded the Ideas of MinBon and WiMin that were the bases of Confucianism political ideas further higher, so that he tried to secure the people's independence and autonomy and made it clear in setting the relation between administration and people that the people did not exist for the administration while the administration existed for the people. He, therefore, argued that the emperor was made by the people who selected the emperor, which meant that the emperor could not become the emperor if the people had not selected him for the position. He also said that the emperor could be changed by GiHuPalBaek (九侯八伯: feudal loads and loyal people) through consultation if it was not harmonized between the emperor and people. That is, Dasan showed us the clue of the Idea of MinGwon by claiming that not only the power to form a national organization but also summon rights were belonging to the people.