간재 전우의 <중용> 해석의 특징

Abstract

Jeon-Woo maintains that the root idea of Confucianism is to lay stress on the nature, a heresy regards the mind as the most important thing, and it must follow the nature as its fundamental principle. He thinks the reason why Confucianism put emphasis on the nature is that it is perfect good, intangible and inactive thing, so there is no chance it changes into evil. He, therefore, strenuously insists that we must not regard the mind as the most important thing because it is tangible and active thing, and it also has the possibility to be evil. From this point of view, he interprets the Doctrine of the Mean. There are two large characteristics on his interpreting it. First, he understands it contains moral philosophy, and the moral philosophy is to study the nature and it clarifies the root idea of Confucianism is to lay stress on the nature. He, therefore, tries to show that his main thought, that is, the mind must follow the nature as its fundamental principle, is not his personal opinion but the foundation of Confucianism by interpreting the Doctrine of the Mean. Second, he also tries to clearly distinguish intangible and inactive things from the tangible and active things about the major concepts on the Doctrine of the Mean. He thought that he was called to pass down the path of Confucianism to future generations. He interpreted the Doctrine of the Mean, in the same spirit as Za-Sa wrote it fearing the moral philosophy wouldn't hand down to future generations by a cult.