자본주의 사회에서 다시 보는 맹자의 성선론

Abstract

The theory of nature of Confucianism is basically Mengzi’s theory of human nature, and this tradition has continued throughout the history of Confucianism for 2500 years. In traditional Confucianism, Mengzi’s theory of human nature was so obvious that there was not much discussion of its validity. However, the validity of the theory of human nature was questioned due to the academic climate, which requires objective evidence in modern times. Aside from the past, there seem to be two main reasons why Mengzi’s theory of human nature is suspected in modern society, environmental and internal factors. First, it is related to modern capitalism as an environmental factor. In contrast to the idea of Mengzi’s theory of human nature, capitalism moves toward glorifying and encouraging human greed. For a capitalist system to be sustainable, it is necessary to let people pursue more materials, and make more production and consumption. Naturally, not only is human desire actively positive, but it is even a virtue in itself. Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that Mengzi’s theory of human nature, which reflects selfish desires rather than Mengzi’s theory, is supported. Second, it relates to misconceptions about the human nature as a human internal factor. The most important problem is that people confuse the word "nature" with the revealed psychological state. It should be recognized that nature which is spoken in Confucianism, is different from that of mind, which has been revealed. Human nature is both the principle and the basis for which the mind is revealed. In addition, the fact that it is reasonable to confine nature to it also contributes to distrust in the theory. In view of these two factors, the reason why this theory has not been accepted is the temporary phenomenon of capitalist society, and thus it has ample potential to be overcome by social fluctuations. Also, if people can get away with the misconception of human nature, theory can be easily accepted.