현상즉실재론과 신유학—이노우에 데쓰지로를 중심으로—

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between Neo-Confucianism and the “Identity-Realism Theory,” understood as a Japanese worldview emerging during the Meiji period. In particular, it examines the components of Identity-Realism as developed by Inoue Tetsujiro, arguing that Neo-Confucianism, alongside previously identified influences such as German idealism and the Dàshéng Qǐxìn Lùn(The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana), significantly contributed to shaping this theory. First, I propose that by interpreting the Neo-Confucian concepts of “temperamental nature” (氣質之性) and “li” (理) as phenomena and Reality, respectively, Identity-Realism establishes a logic in which the individual and the whole are conceived as fundamentally homogeneous. This conceptual foundation encourages individuals to actively engage in the realization of collective values. Furthermore, by incorporating Schopenhauer’s notion of the will, Spencer’s theory of evolutionary progression, and the neo-Kantian idea of self-realization, Inoue introduces the concept of evolution —absent in traditional Neo-Confucianism— into the realm of the Identity-Realism Theory. In this process, the Neo-Confucian theory of self-cultivation is reinterpreted as “moral development toward completion,” thereby infusing Identity-Realism Theory with an evolutionary dimension under the auspices of Neo-Confucian principles. In summary, while retaining the Neo-Confucian logic of the interrelationship between the individual and the whole, Inoue integrates evolutionary theory to construct a worldview in which individuals are guided by ethical imperatives