설태희의 근대 유학연구 비판(Ⅰ): 캉유웨이의 원시유학연구 비판을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper examines modern Confucian scholar, Seol Tae-hee's criticism of the contemporary Confucian studies, especially his critique of Kang yu-wei's commentaries on Early Confucianism. Seol Tae-hee believed that 'the essence of Confucianism is practical ethics that people exercise honorably, every day in their life' and that its core idea was 'practicality'. Thus, he distinguished Confucianism as a different study from Neo- Confucianism. Nevertheless, according to him, the majority of the contemporary Confucian studies failed to clear up the misunderstanding of Confucianism formed by Confucius and Mencius, or rather supported Neo-Confucianism. While agreeing to Kang yu-wei's intent to restore the original ideas of Confucianism, Seol Tae-hee still thought that there were some shortcomings in Kang yu-wei's ideas and reviewed critically Kang's commentaries on Mencius's teachings, that is, 'human nature is good' and 'a virtuous man has a destiny of his own and thus he does not speak of his human nature only, and because he has his own human nature he does not speak of his destiny only'. Kang yu-wei examined various intellects' ideas on human nature, including Mencius, Gaozi, Hsun tzu and Dong Zhongshu, and concluded that the ideas on human nature by each Mencius and Hsun tzu were not conflicting but rather agreeing to each other in their basic philosophy. However, Seol Tae-hee argued that good was what made the principle of formation of human existence continue, and this good was not relative but absolute in nature, and criticized that many scholars were confused about that. Seol Tae-hee basically agreed to Kang yu-wei's argument that destiny and nature of a person were both predetermined by heredity and a learning which stood aloof from destiny by fostering nature was important. Nevertheless, Seol criticized that Kang's ideas had a critical shortcoming as such argument still failed to explain the fact that a person's destiny is subject to the destiny of the society or the nation to which he belongs. Seol tae-hee's criticism of Kang yu-wei's commentaries on Confucianism was based on his purpose of reviving ethical practice and progress of people's society.