華夷觀과 文明ㆍ野蠻觀의 思惟 接點과 批判的 省察

Abstract

'Hwa-Ih-gwan/華夷觀', which for a long time had perceived the East Asian world as a space composed of different level of layers, also perceived the East Asian world as one which had 'dual' meanings, and dual aspirations. On one hand, it emphasized the fact(or notion) that races or peoples were inherently different, by their very nature. On the other, it supported the notion that it was possible to 'remodel' a race or people with the generally embraced qualities of a universal('superior') culture as a barometer. Such duality, in terms of meaning and aspiration, was actually very similar to another kind of structural duality that was displayed inside the modern East Asian community, in which the general notion of (the coexistence of) 'Civilized' and 'Barbaric', and concepts of discrimination and remodeling tagged to such notions, practically all coexisted. Examined in this article, are the paths such notions and aspirations actually took, and also at what points they came across and philosophically encountered each other. And in the end of such examination, hopefully the similarities among certain 'critical analyses' of such notion of discrimination that existed in both the premodern periods and the modern period, produced and provided by the intellects of East Asia, would be determined. The premodern period's intellects in East Asia all presented different levels of emphasis upon the meaning of 'Hwa-Ih-gwan/華夷觀', based upon their own times and places. Yet coming into the 18th century, the 'Hwa-Ih-gwan' perceptions of each of the three countries in (North)-east Asia started to exhibit noticeable changes within in their own. Joseon dynasty's Hong Dae Yong figured that when an entity, keenly aware of the 'relativity' of individual entities, could abandon and simply drop its own perception of itself as a sort of 'center', and only then one could acknowledge and appreciate the unique and natural values of other entities(in this case, countries) as well. On the other hand, Qing dynasty's Yongzheng emperor figured that the position of 'Civilized' and 'Barbaric' could always shift, as one could remodel itself to practice general(universal) virtues and morals. Yet in his case it was not like a goal was set to eliminate the differences between races and peoples. It was rather a notion that demanded the self-realization to be taken on the part of 'barbaric ones'. And as a third example, Japan's Asami Keisai acknowledged the relative nature of individual entities, yet argued that 'self-centered' notion of oneself be reinforced, and the absolute fix (in terms of acting and perceiving things) upon oneself be maintained. Since the beginning of the modern period, the Western style perception of the 'civilized and barbaric' that East Asia came into contact for the first time, continued to conflict and clash wish the existing 'Hwa-Ih-gwan' perception. The concepts that were originally built inside 'Hwa-Ih-gwan' were replaced with new ones such as 'civilized' and 'barbaric' from the outside world. Yet the process was never a unilateral replacement. A merging was also happening at the same time. The process itself was made possible because there was already a background, namely concepts and terms that served the very purpose similar to those served by the aforementioned, newly imported concepts regarding 'the civilized and the barbaric'. In the meantime, the East Asian intellects tried to present alternatives that could go beyond the concept of civilized and barbaric. They did not acknowledge the Western civilization as an absolute model or barometer to be observed or abided by. They suggested the existence of a 'General civilization', and then emphasized the relative importance of the sub-cultures under the influence of such general civilization. Their discussions turned out to be quite similar to the process which was featured by certain efforts in the 18th century designed to overcome the traditional 'Hwa-Ih-gwan' perception. They also pointed out the colossal injustice and invasive nature kept behind the Western civilization which in appearance looked very glamorous. And they imagined a peaceful world order based upon balance and harmony among civilizations. Their ideas can be helpful to us, in our efforts to escape the current order shaping up inside East Asia, where advancements and globalization are considered the only viable and pursuable values.