순자의 유가 비판에 대한 연구

Abstract

Xunzi, who lived during the Warring States Period of China, developed an evaluation and criticism of the ideas of Confucian thinkers, even though he was a Confucian thinker himself. It can be said that his harsh criticism of Confucian thinkers was no less severe than his criticism of other thinkers of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Xunzi’s actions caused a great deal of controversy among later generations. Some scholars even argued that Xunzi should be removed from the ranks of Confucian thinkers. Although Xunzi criticized Confucian thinkers, the root of Xunzi’s academic thought was to revere Confucius and respect propriety. Therefore, it can be said that it was completely based on Confucianism. Despite this, why did this result come about? In fact, Xunzi’s ideological system can be seen as entirely based on propriety. In other words, Xunzi believed that propriety was the only means to maintain political and social order in a new era. That is why he developed his criticism of Confucian thinkers based on the basic norms of courtesy. Among the Confucian thinkers whom Xunzi criticized, the most notable ones are Zisi and Mencius. This can be seen as a criticism of Confucian idealists from the perspective of a Confucian realist. Xunzi harshly criticized Confucian thinkers. That is why he was able to prevent the various thoughts of the Hundred Schools of Thought from influencing Confucian thought. In particular, he was able to block religious and mystical thoughts from exerting influence on Confucianism in advance.