『孟子』를 척도로 본 조선후기 公田 담론의 경세학적 층차

Abstract

『Mencius』 recalled the ideal land system of Confucianism, in which Gonjeon(公田) was a core institution. However, he did not provide specific information. Moreover, living in a reality that differed from the ideal, Mencius did not clearly explain what shape this ideal should take and how to realize it. As a result, the task of elaborating on 『Mencius』’s explanation of Gongjeon in the lights of Confucian Classics and statecraft was left to later Confucian scholars. The late Joseon Dynasty was the farthest period from the ideal in the Korean history of the premodern era, but it was also the time when various statecraft discourses were produced that evoked Gongjeon. First, Lee Jae(李縡) reinterpreted the ideal of Gongjeon through a prism called Insi(因時). He believed that the ideology of Gongjeon had universality that still applied even today, but that it could only be achieved through the system that was in place then. His was a realistic revolutionary discourse to selectively realize the ideal of Gongjeon, so as to achieve Injoeng(仁政) through a Zerok(制祿)-centered system. Yu Hyeong won(柳馨遠) regarded the principle of Gongjeon(公田) as a universality that penetrated the past and the present. In particular, he denied the implementation of the feudal system(封建制) in Wangki(王畿), which became the logical link for seeking the feasibility of Jengjeonje(井田制) under the rational bureaucracy(郡縣制). In 『PangyeSurok(磻溪隨錄)』, he specifically designed a state system based on the principle of Gongjeon. It was the first major discourse of the Joseon Dynasty that solved the two tasks bequeathed by Mencius through the integration of Bunjoen(分田) and Zerok(制祿), and thus discussed the reform plan on the scale of the national system. Jung Yak yong(丁若鏞) invented the System of State on Gongjeon(公田體制), in which Gongjeon(公田) was a key law. He argued that only farmers should gain land, and that land gainers should co-cultivate the Gongjeon(公田) for paying tax on land. He also insisted that people who did not receive farmland should become experts in other occupations. His vision was of a country where professionalization was achieved in all industries, including agriculture. Furthermore, in 『GyeongseYupyo(經世遺表)』 he planned a gradual and sweeping reform modeled on the System of State on Gongjeon. Thus, the idea of Gongjeon conveyed by 『Mencius』 was reinterpreted as various gonjeons. Many Confucian scholars fed the variations, and in the process, the substance of Gongjeon was split into various strands. This shows that the ideal Confucian system is not institutionally clear, so there is room for adapting it to the various demands and goals of reality.