李贄의 思惟方式에 관한 考察-‘李贄의 矛盾’ 再解析

Abstract

It is a tragic irony of history that Li Zhi, who represented the 'new' in a transitional period in history, was eliminated by the antiquated system and long-established conventionality. He died dishonorably in prison only after severe denunciation and various false accusations. Futhermore, his life achievements have been distorted from his true natures because of the polarized analysis of him - an eccentric mad man or a genius with great foresight. To refrain from emphasizing a mere unilateral aspect of Li Zhi, this research attempts to unveil Li Zhi's way of thinking and reasoning rather than examining his political ideologies, literary works, and ethical ideas. Without understanding how his mind works it is impossible to understand the contradictions in his actions such as being interested in politics even after retiring from a government post, his views on loyalty and justice - being loyal to the king whilst remaining faithful to his individual conception of justice, living in a buddhist temple and criticising confucianism whilst considering himself to be a confucian scholar. The entire study process took place in a different perspective from existing studies, refraining from methods which emphasize on Li Zhi's fragmentary features and emboss only one aspect of the person. The study, in an attempt to understand the Li Zhi's contradictions, discloses the synthetic idea and characteristics seen in Li Zhi's works.