허목이 찬술한 조식 선생 ‘신도비’논란에 대한 고찰

Abstract

In this study, the dispute stemming from the cenotaph erected in memory of Nammyeong (Cho Sik's nickname), and its subsequent destruction leading to a lawsuit between the Namin (southern people) faction and the descendents of Cho Sik was examined through a sociological lens. The writing on the cenotaph was also a cause for dispute between Namin and the descendents of Cho Sik, as well as between Namin and Noron (another faction). Cho Sik was active in the 16th century during the early development of neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism in Joseon was centered around familial blood ties which determined norms for the whole community and the ruling ideology for the nation state. These neo-Confucian norms pervaded in all facets of society, including kinship communities, wider society, and culture. These norms also permeated in mental or intellectual outputs such as artworks and symbolic systems such as linguistic rules. All these in the Joseon era were included under the umbrella of the concept of culture, with culture being defined as the mental and physical aspects of nature as it is created by humans, and that which is transformed or created as new. The academic discipline called Confucianism also contained the term culture as the concept of a human mental output leading to new creations. Neo-Confucianism was a philosophy that added metaphysical reasoning to early Confucianism, and was introduced in late 13 century Goryeo by Ahn Hyang, thus playing a critical role in the creation of a new culture in the dynastic transition period. Neo-Confucianism rejected the doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism as empty, characterizing them as a destructive force of familial and societal ethics and discipline, as Buddhism tended toward eschewing the secular world and Taoism favored seclusion. Buddhist and Taoist doctrines were effectively rendered a taboo paving the way for neo-Confucianism to take root in the culture, and as a result, causing a great societal change. From the first half of the 18th century until the first half of the 19th century, the Realist School (Shilhak) of Korean Confucian academic tradition was established, and its practitioners reflected upon the exclusionary and intolerant nature of neo-Confucianism. They also stressed the importance of pragmatism and carefully analyzed and debated each and every proposition they faced. Accordingly, the 喪葬祭禮, or Confucian rituals, was elevated to the status of an academic discipline. However, the rituals outlined in the Sangjangjerye became the source of intense struggle among the political factions behind closed doors, thus leading to social change which in turn caused cultural change. The establishment of the Shindobi, which was used as a means of strengthening the class system, became the subject of profound studies, and the focus of a power struggle between factions, including Yesong surrounding funeral rites of a queen's mother, served as the catalyst for great social change. When viewed through this lens, the sociological meaning of Heo Mok's cenotaph erected for Cho Sik entitled “Deoksanbi” is revealed.