新儒家의 ‘현대화’론에 대한 비판적 고찰-牟宗三의 內聖外王論을 중심으로-

Abstract

The representative contemporary New Confucian philosopher Mou Zongsan(牟宗三)'s argument about modernization of China has theoretically more deepened from that of Liang Shuming(梁漱溟) and Xiong Shili(熊十力). Mou argued that transcendental moral reason(良知) vicissitudinary go through "Self Negation(坎陷)", and break the way for intellect which enable science and democracy to appear to the phenomenal world, so that traditional Confucian society could achieve modernization. But as a matter of fact, this assertion took historical, social, political problems as the realm of the fact into the transcendental moral noumenon as the realm of the value, so regarded Confucian philosophy to transcendental moral metaphysics. On the other, his new theory of "Confucian mantle(儒家道統)" as the core of “inward sagehood(內聖)” differentiated Lu-Wang school from Cheng-Zhu school, and look upon Xiong's and his philosophy which succeed to Lu-Wang as an orthodox "vital line(生命之路)" or "vital Confucianism(生命儒學)". Yet Mou's "vitality(生命)" is not natural vitality but moral vitality, and so, this factor convert Confucian tradition into moral religion. Undoubtedly for this, Mou's new theory of "outward governing(外王)" hardly exercise its influence over the real world.