왕양명의 ‘良知’와 함석헌의 ‘씨알’, 생물권정치학 시대를 위한 존재사건

Abstract

This is a comparative study between Wang Yang-ming(王陽明, 1472-1529), a Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar of the 14-15th century and Ham Seok-heon(咸錫憲, 1901-1989), a modern Korean thinker and political activist. They both have experienced a deep spiritual Being-advent in their searching for the meaning and the ground of being and life. Liang-chih(良知, the innate knowledge of the good) and ssial(씨, the humane seed of transcendence) are two expressions of their discoveries and faith in humane innate ability of knowing and willing, and natural acting power of what is discerned as good and right. This study sees that there are three or four stages in their lives’ and thoughts’ development, and that these four stages show how they have synthesized what are usually divided understood, namely, spirituality and political action, thinking and acting, politics and education etc. Their experiences of Being-advent are regarded as a starting point and the fundament of all these multiple activities of both. As we all know, Yang-ming was the great revolutionist and antagonist to Chu Hsi’ Neo-Confucian Intellectual wing. With his powerful experience in human being’s innate goodness, he tried to reinterpret the human mind and the whole process of Confucian learning. For Yang-ming, human being’s mind and heart(心/良知) is the fountain of all beings and affairs of the world, and it knows very naturally what is right and wrong. The unity of knowledge and action(知行合一) is the another expression of the humane innate goodness, so it is not only ontological truth, but also the premier ethical imperative and the method and the goal of humane learning for sageness(聖人之道). Ham Seok-heon succeeded these revolutionary ideas of Yang-ming through several ways, and as a modern Korean Christian thinker, and he opened new dimensions of Christian God-talk and ethic. Especially, his idea and faith in ssial, the humane seed of transcendence was the ontological and ethical fundament of all his activities as religious thinker, political fighter for Korean democracy, teacher, poet and visionary for humankind’s civilization. I think that in these cases of Yang-ming and Ham Seok-heon, we can see very vividly how authentic Being-advent has powerful political meaning in human being’s thinking. Ham Seok-heon’s life and thought are also a good example of the encounter and dialogue between Eastern and Western ways of thinking, and they designate how the future of humankind’s civilization will take the form.