THE LI-KI STRUCTURE OF THE FOUR BEGINNINGS AND THE SEVEN EMOTIONS AND THE INTENT OF THE FOUR-SEVEN DEBATE: A CRITICAL REFLECTION ON THE METHODS OF EXPLAINING THE THEORIES OF THE FOUR BEGINNINGS AND THE SEVEN EMOTIONS IN KOREAN NEO-CONFUCIANISM
It is not easy to explain the distinct relationships and roles of concepts like li (理, principle), ki (氣, matter or energy), heart-mind (sim 心), and nature (sŏng 性) because the terms simultaneously explain both the physical quality and the ethical nature of being. In order to solve this difficulty, Confucians of the Chosŏn dynasty tried to search for effective ways of explanation by analyzing them, and today’s scholars also make persistent efforts to resolve this difficulty. One direction of such arguments in the Sŏngho school, which includied Chŏng Yag-yong, was to divide the usages of the concepts into “the special” (chŏn 專) and “the universal” (ch’ong 總). In addition, there was “the theory of mutual opposition” (taesŏl 對說) versus “the theory of mutual causation” (insŏl 因說), which was suggested by Ki Tae-sŭng in his disputes over the Four Beginnings and the Seven Emotions with Yi Hwang, and the “horizontal viewing” (hoeng’gan 橫看) versus “vertical viewing” (sugan 竪看), which was used by Yi I, Yi Chin-sang, Chŏng Chae-gyu, and others. Contemporary scholars have also used these frameworks in order to explain the theories of li, ki, “heart-mind,” and “nature” in Chosŏn Confucianism. And these methods focus mainly on the li and ki structure of moral emotions. However, most Chosŏn Neo-Confucianists discussed these topics in order to actualize moral life in the real world by searching for ways of controlling emotions, rather than discovering the ontological structure of li, ki, “heart-mind,” and “nature”. If we consider what we can learn from Neo-Confucianism’s li, ki, “heart-mind,” and “nature” theory or the theory of the Four Beginnings and the Seven Emotions today, we should take note of the experiences and the results of discussions that attempt to make a normative justifiability of moral life equal to the inevitability of the natural law, by considering that human beings and society share their material and principles with nature. And we should evaluate dispassionately the theories and the results of these theories that were made in order to accomplish a Confucian moral society, and make the evaluation helpful for generating a discussion to lead today’s society in a desirable direction.
목차
ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION 2. SPECIAL VERSUS UNIVERSAL USAGE 3. A HORIZONTAL VIEWING AND A VERTICAL VIEWING 4. THE STRUCTURE OF LI AND KI THEORY AND UNDERSTANDING NEO-CONFUCIAN DEBATES 5. CONCLUSIONA DIRECTION FOR DISCUSSION ON THE THEORIES OF LI, KI, “HEART-MIND,” AND “NATURE” REFERENCES
한국연구원은 1970년 5월 한국 민속의 각 분야에 걸친 자료의 수집과 학술적 연구를 목적으로 '한국민속연구소'로 출발하였다. 그 후 1973년 5월 연구 분야를 확대하며 민속뿐만 아니라 한국학 전반에 걸친 연구를 위해 '한국학연구소'로 개편하였고, 다시 1989년 3월 한국의 국제적 위상의 부상과 함께 한국학 연구의 중요성이 높아짐에 따라 '한국학연구원'으로 확대, 개편하였다. 한국학연구원은 한국학 전반에 걸친 연구를 통해 지역과 민족문화 발전에 기여하며 한국학의 세계화를 위해서 학술활동을 강화하고 나아가 내·외국인에 대한 한국문화 교육을 담당하고자 한다.