선진유가의 禮論 연구: 墨子와의 비교를 중심으로

Abstract

This study was performed to understand ancient Confucians' Theories of Propriety by means of researching Mozi's criticism on such theories and confucians' answers to that criticism. Three points are mainly dealt with herein; First, while Mozi stressed love without discrimination, confucians emphasized Chinchin(親親) based on human natural feelings, Confucians insisted that human nature toward love can be confirmed and expanded by way of practicing the utmost of respect(恭敬) in the relationship between family members like between parents and their sons or daughters. Second, while Mozi criticised that confucians are careless about new creation, because they make much account of explaining but not making(述而不作), confucians thought much of adapting traditions inherited from their cultural pioneers. Third, Mozi's theory of social organization resulted in an authoritarian logic such as adjusting oneself to senior, because they had no strategy of practicing universal love(兼愛), though they advocated it. But, confucians underlined that human practice should be based on oneself's nature not following norms of the outer world passively by means that controlling oneself from scattered mind in the ancestral rites shall be expanded into attitudes to be maintained in everyday life. Character of confucians' Theories of Propriety in comparison with Mozi's is that practicing should be based on human nature. The aim of propriety is to control one's emotions and desires by way of conforming concrete form of manners. But they found the basis of norms applied to human relationship in human natural emotion of love and respect, and emphasized that practicing in everyday life should be done in maintenance of human nature. This may be one of the their solution to secure autonomy to create and stipulate norms in spite of stiff and somewhat excessive forms of propriety.