‘위정척사(衛正斥邪)’와 ‘개화(開化)’사상에 나타난 유교지식인의 공(公)·사(私) 관념

Abstract

This research paper studies how Confucian intellectuals in Joseon, who entered the modern transition period, established concepts such as equity, and publicity and practiced them in society through their notions of public and private matters. To this end, research was conducted focusing on two types of the ideas of the Wijeong-Cheoksa Pa(Choi Ik-hyun, Yoo In-seok and Ki Jung-jin) and the ideas of the Enlightenment Party (Park Kyu-Su, Kim Yoon-sik, and Yoo Gil-joon), which have conflicting views on the acceptance of modern civilization. The Wijung-Cheoksa Pa used the public and private issues as an ideological clue to overcome the contradictions of the reality of the times by inheriting the Neo-Confucian perspectives of "the public of Heavenly Principle" and "the private of human desire." By rejecting the private sector and defending the value of the public, it showed a logic of reality response that emphasized against foreign pressure and aggression. In addition, in the face of foreign invasion and threats, they tried to overcome the national crisis by relying on public opinion or the publicity of international law. However, the public opinion or public law at this time did not deviate from the scope of their Neo-Confucian values. The Enlightenment school tried to recognize the changes in the world order and accept modern civilization through public opinion and discussion of public law. They, who were mainly active on the front line of real politics, showed foreign policy lines emphasizing public law. If the public opinion emphasized by the Wijung-Cheoksa Pa was mainly limited to the ruling class, the Enlightenment school could see a clue to the perception that the heavenly principles and the public of the world coexist by covering the realm of the people. Although the influence of modern ideology on individual freedom and rights has also appeared, individuals are still captured within the values of the community, and it will be difficult to regard them as the rise of individuals like the Western modern era. At this time, Confucian intellectuals' view of the public and the private did not clearly show new changes comparable to the Western modern era. But it showed various patterns of change within the special time and space of the modern transition period. The public and the private concepts of the Wijeong-choksa Pa and the Enlightenment school simultaneously revealed similarities based on traditional values and differences from conflicting attitudes toward modern civilization. At the same time, it is possible to guess the origin of today's perception of the public and the private.