『중국철학자공자』(Confucius Sinarum Philosophus)와 계몽철학: 전례논쟁의 철학적 영향과 형이상학적 보편주의

Abstract

Confucianism which was transmitted to the West by Jesuit Missionaries during the enlightenment period was a kind of cultural shock to the European intellectuals. If the book T'ien-chu Shih-i (The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven) published by Matteo Ricci in China is about Westernized world view of China then Couplet's Confucius Sinarum Philosophus is the European Chinese world view. This book could be seen as a measurement of Jesuits degree of adaptation. As a matter of fact, it deeply impressed the scholars of the enlightenment period who showed a tendency of religious tolerance and universalism character. Above all, the publication of this book called on to the philosophical introspection of Jesuit accommodation and within the Church order it brought forth a serious argument on rituals. The Jesuit missionaries consulted those contemporary scholars on the validity of the universalism of Jesuit accommodation who had studied Chinese philosophy. Here the concerned philosophers are Malebranche and Leibniz. Therefore, rite controversy became a metaphysical philosophical discourse for them. In Discourse Malebranche found similarity with Li's idea of the substantialism and Leibniz found the concept of physical and moral principle in coherence with Monade and Li. This universalistic philosophical tendency influenced the enlightenment philosophers. Consequently, the rite controversy disputed not only the validity of the methods of mission, but also became an instrument, to the enlightenment philosophers who were already involved in intense philosophical discourse, for new metaphysical investigation of the Chinese philosophy.