退溪와 高峯 四端七情論辨에 있어 ‘四端無不善’과 ‘四端有善惡’의 衝突

Abstract

In the beginning of the Four-Seven Debate between T’oegye and Kobong, both T’oegye and Kobong take it for the granted that the Four Beginnings is nothing but Good and the Seven Feelings involves both Good and Evil. But on its late argument, Kobong insists that all the Four Beginnings cannot be Good, since it can also attain its improper condition[不中節]. In addition, he suggested the theory of ‘weak Principle and strong Material Force’. However, his suggestion doesn’t match up with Mencius’ Saying that the Four Beginnings is pure like Nature, and is lethal to T’oegye’s assertion that the issuance of the Four Beginnings is purely a matter of principle and therefore nothing but Good. Despite T’oegye’s assertion that the fact that the Four Beginnings can be improper condition lies in not the Four Beginnings itself but the corrupt material force. Kobong strongly criticized in T’oegye’s assertion now that T’oegye distorted the principal object of Mencius’ Four Beginnings theory. But Kobong keeps insisting the improper condition of the Four Beginnings on the authority of Master’s Chu’s words of Yu-Lei, that is, the Four Beginnings can be not only a proper condition but also an improper condition. T’oegye adhered to hie assertion that the Four Beginnings itself ispurely good without evil.[純善無惡] in that at the sixth Diagram of “the Mind Combines and Governs the Nature and the Feelings[心統性情圖]” of the Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning[聖學十圖], the Feeling of the Four Beginnings as “Principle[理] issues and Material Force[氣] follows it” is originally purely goodness without evil but, with the issuance of Principle not completed, after hidden by Material Force, falls into evil. But it seems to be impossible to logically prove his assertion in that the Material Force of the Four Beginnings hides the Principle of the Four Beginnings. In contrast with Kobong’s logical and coherent assertion, how can we explain the basic reason that T’oegye lets the Four Beginnings belong to the purview of Principle to extreme value too much for himself. The reason can be said to explain the clue of the possibility to realize the pure Goodness toward the Confucius Great Society[大同社會] in the real world. Probably this may be the reason that T’oegye consistently provided the practical Feeling as the issuance of Principle. But when viewed at the theory of Master Chu’s Learning, it is difficulty to deny the fact that T’oegye’s assertion is lack of logical consistency, when confronted with the Problem of the Four Beginnings’ evil unavoidably. However, the ethical meaning of T’oegye’s Four-Seven Dabate and the status in the Confucian history of Korea must not be derogative. We can see an anguish scholar between belief and logic through T’oegye’s assertion about the Good and Eevil of the Four Beginnings.