류성룡의 교육적 배경과 자기주도적 평생학습

Abstract

What did Seo-ae Ryu Sung-ryong study and how did he overcome the Imjin War(1592∼1598)? How did he cultivate the leadership capacity that saved the people and the nation as of the top government official next to the King? This article inquires into his pedagogy as well as andragogy. The institutions of his pedagogy include home Schooling (primary education at home), Seoul Donghak and Ganseong Hyanggyo (public secondary schools), Dosan Seodang (private boarding school), and Sungkyunkwan (national university) before he entered into public service. This article also heeds Ryu’s self-education. He perused Wang Yangmings Literary Collections’ which he obtained by the Abrok (Yalu) riverside at the age of 17, and the Mencius at the age of 19. His self-education can be placed in the category of self-guided learning: the method of of andragogy. This article sheds light on his andragogy as Ryu not only trained officials but also trained himself. That Ryu studied war strategies all by himself as a scholar of humanities to the level of commanding the frontline troops at the war is extraordinary. Ryu’s patriotic endeavors to save the country and his policies seem to have been inspired by Wang Yangmings literary collections’, which was criticized and banned by the mainstream scholars. It will be shown that Ryus sense of balance and extensive reading enabled him to practice the doctrines of “being harmonious but not uniform” (和而不同) and “sincerely holding fast to the mean”(允執厥中) Ryu Seong-ryong’s learning method shows his unique mode of thinking. Ryu was able to read the texts of the classics and interpret their meanings in his own way. He had a highly creative way of learning which might be of interest to modern scholars of education.