근대전환기 석주 이상룡의 사상적 변화와 유교개혁론의 연원

Abstract

This study investigates the origin of the Confucian Reform Theory of Seokju(石洲) Lee Sang-ryong(李相龍, 1858~1932) by reviewing the process of his changing ideas in their relationship with the Jeongjae School. He became a member of the Jeongjae School after studying under Kim Heung-rak by the recommendation of his grandfather in 1876. He was closely related to the school both in his academic and family genealogy. Lee Sang-ryong was devoted to studying and having active exchanges with the members of the Jeongjae School. The researcher examined the patterns of his academic exchanges in the letters contained in his collection of work and found the following characteristics of the period: Lee Sang-ryong cultivated his talent as a scholar in his relationship with his master by the 1880s; his exchanges with the members of the school, including his master and alumni, were concentrated in the 1890s, which helped him solidify his position in the school; in addition, he increased his contacts with various figures beyond his school in the 1900s, but the members of the Jeongjae School were still responsible for the majority of his letters, and they discussed the concerns of the time with him. Exchanges with the Jeongjae School had impacts on Lee’s ideological changes and reactions to reality. The truth was checked through a cross-validation process to track the content of his letters. In particular, his life faced the most dramatic changes in the 1900s amid the historical whirlpool in which Joseon lost its national sovereignty. He did his best to fulfill his duties by making efforts to continue the reputation of his family and keep up with the activities to bring up junior scholars for the inheritance of the academic genealogy. As a Confucian scholar, he tried to perform his social responsibilities to save the nation from crisis and participated in the Righteous Army Movement in addition to the Enlightenment Movement. Lee placed importance on circumstances and showed his ideological openness to overcome a crisis in reality. In 1907, when the Righteous Army Movement failed, he began to accept the changed world order by learning of the new East and West and was active as an enlightenment activist. He reflected the inherited academic genealogy of Gyeongseron in the Jeongjae School that found importance in being flexible when dealing with circumstances and showed an open mindset transcendent of partisan colors and ideological tendencies to solve real issues. Lee's ideological changes and Confucian Reform Theory were the outcomes of his personal capabilities combined with the accumulated discussions of the school that took interest in the situations of the time and real issues and searched for various methods to solve them.