박세당 저술을 둘러싼 논쟁과 소통

Abstract

In human life and history, a dispute is universalized daily life as a way of communication. Humans criticize or accept others' opinions through debates, and change or confirm one's recognition. It is worth reviewing a party policy which was a major political issue in Chosun Dynasty from a viewpoint of such disputes. Especially, the 17th century should be examined as the period is known for hot disputes enough to be called “The age of disputes”. All kinds of practical matters were in debates all over the society that time: they included ranging from quite big issues such as Juhwa (For Chung)/Chukhwa (Against Chung) Dispute raised by different positions on Chung Dynasty, and Yesong (kind of national ceremony) Dispute caused by the different way of understanding on Ye(Ceremony), to individual debates on the interpretation of New-Confucianism. For a specific review on the characteristics of the disputes in the 17th century, this study examined the dispute centering around Seogae Park Se-dang (1629~1703), who was driven to ‘Samunnanjeok(斯文亂賊)’. Park Se-dang suggested an academic research to solve practical problems Chosun Dynasty faced that time and wrote [Sabyeonrok] to present the directions. In the process, he seems to have accepted some part of Neo-confucianism selectively through Taoism and Buddhism. But, such Park Se-dang's thought was never been accepted by the group standing on the doctrines of Chu-tzu absolutism like Song Si-yeol's thought with doctrinaire disposition. Thus, this caused heated controversy between the groups centering around Park Se-dang and that around Song Si-yeol. At the end, Park Se-dang was forced to go into banishment by reason of his different thought. This means that the dispute in Chosun Dynasty was not limited to the thought itself,but extended to a political interest according to a party policy. Meanwhile, it is possible to infer the ruling classes' way of thought and communication at that time by reviewing the logical ground between the groups; for Park Se-dang or against him. Two groups put the ground of the dispute on Gongron (Public Opinion). As the Public Opinion was an ideal political system of Salim power group, it was an absolute governmental principle that even King should obey. The Public Opinion was the political ideal matching Chunmyung (Providence) and Inshim (Human mind) that were the origin of Confucian thought, and the bearer of the Public Opinion should be the person qualified enough to be called "The ethical saint“ presented in Confucianism. But, the abstraction in the definition of the Public Opinion allows different interpretations according to an individual interest without any clear scale or criteria in the controversy. Thus,disputes based on the Confucian Public Opinion has the risk of leading people to private conflicts rather than to communication,which is represented through the case of the dispute related to Park Se--dang.