實學의 유교사적 맥락과 유교 연구 탐색

Abstract

‘Shixue(實學)’ has the proper menaing as the stream of Conucian movement developed through the 17~19th century in East-Asia against the streams of Lixue(理學), which on the one hand criticized them for their mind-orientied theorizing of Confucianism making difficult to realize the actual utilities taught by original Confucian tradition in reality, and on the other hand established the countermeasures from the both sides of fulfilling of Confucian virtues in individual and realization of the actual utilities in communities. But the direction and contents of Shixue by the Confucian literati of Korea, China, and Japan were developed quite differently from each other owing to the different political environment. In China Enlightening of Confucian idea on the righteous kingship such as “honouring the king and driving off the barbarians” was oppressed with the unification propaganda that “all under heaven are of one family” by the Qing dynasty. But the confucian literati in Korea and Japan undermined the Manchrian Government as a barbarian usurper from the idea of proper Confucian kingship. In China political suppress on those mentions that might devalue the authority of Qing dynasty made the active studies of Confucianism to reform the system of government, which began to appear from Late Ming period, change into the de-politicized and textual research of ancient Chinese classic literature. In Korea, however, Movement of Shixue seeking for radical reform in the system of government, which was begun from Ming-Qing transitional period and were influenced partly from the contemporary Chinese stream, evolved into providing a new blueprint for the ideal system of government, that is to say, “co-governance of the monarch with the prime minister” based on the reconstructed theory of Confucian humanity. These academic fruits of Shixue in Late Joseon have a historical meaning in the East-Asian history as the last self-critical alternative reached from the long standing perspective that despotic ruling could be overcome through the construction of governmental system in which virtuous and competent literati lead actually the government administration. In Japan the school of Guxue(古學) led the movement of thought against Lixue from the perspective that relativized Confucian idea of humanity as a useful but not absolute governmental instrument like the non-Confucian ones such as Huanglao(黃老) and Guanzi(管子). This stream in Japan, somewhat opposite from the direction of Shixue movement in Korea and China, had a purpose for a strategy enhancing the wealth and military strength of a country, which gave a foundation to the policy for powerful state in the military and economy during the Meiji government. As Nationalism in pursuit of powerful state became influential in Asia since modern transitional period, a common tendency which understood Shixue as a nationalistic movement looking for powerful state have been shaped by the modern researchers. This nationalistic reading on the one hand has made difficult to perceive the Confucian context of Shixue movement in search of the governmental system which lets virtuous literati lead actually cooperative governance, on the hand has justified naturally an orientalistic perspective that devalued Confucian pursuits as an premodern thought of despotic governance. Now it is necessary to illuminate Shixue movement in relation to its regional differences in the context of Confucian history and to revaluate the pursuits by Confucian humanity compared with the Western concept of human rights.