영성과 모더니티 －생명, 씨, 율려로 본 한국적 진보의 궤적－

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to organize one-lined spiritual genealogy of ideological basis which is shared by Lee, Donhwa, Ham, Seokheon, and Kim, Jiha. In his work, Sinin Cheolhak (New Human Philosophy), Lee, Donghwa has combined Cheondogyo with Evolutionism, establishing his unique philosophy of religion. That is to say, by accepting the theory of evolution, he embodied scientific systemization of Innaecheon Thought, and through the organic Vitalism (Life-ism), he also aimed for De-Westernization. However, his religious philosophy reinforced another Universalism focused on Pantheism; furthermore his though had the limit in the aspect of representing the world view based on a struggle for existence. Ham, Seokheon, supporting the historicism which was generated by the combination of Christianity and Evolutionism, led the Korean democracy movement against despotism. According to him, it is an energetic vitality, the original energy, inside one’s self which can convert ‘crises into ‘revolution’ and ‘ordeal’ into ‘glory’. The understanding of this life principle makes personality rebuilding and revolution possible. Although Ham’s theory had discrimination against Lee’s thought in that he advocated cosmopolitanism relying on Vitalism (life-ism), it is problematic because his cosmopolitan outlook does not deny national boundaries basically. Although Kim, Jiha put an emphasis on the coexistence of North-East Asia through Vitalism and Yulryeo movement, his thought is much more nationalistic than Ham, Seokheon’s theory, and internalized value system of the Western more firmly than Lee, Donhwa’s did.