The Philosophical Basis and Feasible Plans in Exchange of Humanistic Tradition between China and South Korea

XING Liju 장로회신학대학교 2014 ASIA‒PACIFIC JOURNAL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES Vol.2 No.-

China and South Korea established diplomatic ties about twenty years ago, and the relations between the two countries are becoming more and more closer. Both governments have, without exception, emphasized the relevance and importance of the humanistic tradition. Humanistic tradition is a core component in the advanced part of human culture, namely the advanced values and norms. Its focus is reflected in respecting, caring about, and loving people. In short, it is a culture that values the human beings. The two countries have a deep cultural relevance and commonality. Neither culture has been singular but rather complex. And cultural development of each or both civilizations is superposed on these variations of each other. Even if so, the exchange of culture between China and Korea was achieved mainly in Chinese characters and Confucian culture as the representatives of the Central Plains in China. These aspects of Chinese culture played a crucial influence on Korean culture. Because China and South Korea are part and parcel of the Confucian culture, broadly speaking, the two countries have similar cultural tradition, cultural structure, cultural value, and cultural psychological formation. On this traditional cultural basis, with a very interactive, cooperative, and mutual enhancement, the bilateral cooperation for building a global vision has great potential. Faced with the impact of the Western culture, China and South Korea in East Asia need to revitalize and promote the traditional Confucian culture, and ultimately need to make a unique contribution to the world culture by some spiritual heritage of the Confucian culture. Therefore, I particularly want to emphasize the following three elements in exchange of humanistic tradition between China and South Korea: “Gan er sui tong 感而遂通” (To share each other’s feeling then commune with each other) as the basis or prerequisite, “He er butong 和而不同” (To lead a life in harmony but acknowledge the other’s difference) as the principle, and “Yun zhi jue zhong 允執厥中” (Truly to catch the truth or take the middle) as the method.

한중일 인문 전통의 활용과 전망 - 21세기 실학의 모색 -

김경미 사단법인 한국민족연구원 2014 민족연구 Vol.0 No.59

The Practical Learning (sirhak) school of the East Asia three countries is characterized by richness in understanding human beings. The proposals by the sirhak scholars in the fields of norms and institutions, reforms in livelihood matters and legal system, and moral maturity reflect the changes in relations between social members and subjective individuals. Their social reform proposals represent the intellectual growth of subjective individuals living through the Chosŏn dynasty. The sirhak scholars, while humanizing human beings as subjective actors, continued to seek for the answers to what constitutes human beings. Moreover, they tried to observe and define humans in light of their mutual relations rather than as self-entity. The sirhak scholars were toward constructing subjective view of human beings based on the self-awareness to foster spirits of humanism. They illustrated human beings devoted ethical behaviors and social harmony, and had a belief in sociability and reciprocity in human existence. Therefore, their first task was to transform themselves before advancing to bring any innovation to the society and culture of their age. Traditional humanities in the 21 century may look for ways how to achieve harmonious co-existence between human and natural worlds, and how to gain ideologies and ethics needed to preserve human subjectivity. To get inspirations for conducting these tasks, we may turn to the revival and reinterpretation of the humanistic tradition of Korea, China and Japan based on the Practical Learning. Newly oriented tendency of the Practical Learning of Korea aims at seeking ways how to realize fully human dignities and values as well as how to live an aesthetics life. In such study, it may be hoped that a new paradigm of ‘life-centered humanities’ can be created to reconstruct new relations not only among human beings but also between human and nature. The rediscovery of the Practical Learning of these three East Asian countries will prove to be useful in producing new perspectives to understand the humanistic tradition of Korea, and also in creating a practical philosophy required by the future.

한중일 인문 전통의 활용과 전망 -21세기 실학의 모색-

김경미 ( Kyoung Mi Kim ) 한국민족연구원 2014 민족연구 Vol.0 No.59

The Practical Learning (sirhak) school of the East Asia three countries is characterized by richness in understanding human beings. The proposals by the sirhak scholars in the fields of norms and institutions, reforms in livelihood matters and legal system, and moral maturity reflect the changes in relations between social members and subjective individuals. Their social reform proposals represent the intellectual growth of subjective individuals living through the Choson dynasty. The sirhak scholars, while humanizing human beings as subjective actors, continued to seek for the answers to what constitutes human beings. Moreover, they tried to observe and define humans in light of their mutual relations rather than as self-entity. The sirhak scholars were toward constructing subjective view of human beings based on the self-awareness to foster spirits of humanism. They illustrated human beings devoted ethical behaviors and social harmony, and had a belief in sociability and reciprocity in human existence. Therefore, their first task was to transform themselves before advancing to bring any innovation to the society and culture of their age. Traditional humanities in the 21 century may look for ways how to achieve harmonious co-existence between human and natural worlds, and how to gain ideologies and ethics needed to preserve human subjectivity. To get inspirations for conducting these tasks, we may turn to the revival and reinterpretation of the humanistic tradition of Korea, China and Japan based on the Practical Learning. Newly oriented tendency of the Practical Learning of Korea aims at seeking ways how to realize fully human dignities and values as well as how to live an aesthetics life. In such study, it may be hoped that a new paradigm of ‘life-centered humanities’ can be created to reconstruct new relations not only among human beings but also between human and nature. The rediscovery of the Practical Learning of these three East Asian countries will prove to be useful in producing new perspectives to understand the humanistic tradition of Korea, and also in creating a practical philosophy required by the future.

실학의 실천적 계승과 대중적 소통 방안― 민족 전통 지식의 사회적 적용 ―

김경미 한서대학교 동양고전연구소 2022 동방학 Vol.- No.46

This paper is an attempt on Practical Learning(sirhak), humanistic tradition of Korea based on literature, history and philosophy-coordinate learning in the point of view of Korean people. To get inspirations for conducting these tasks, we may turn to the revival and reinterpretation of the humanistic tradition of Korea based on the Practical Learning. The scholarly orientation of the sirhak scholars was toward constructing subjective view of human beings based on the self-awareness to foster spirits of humanism. The rediscovery of the Practical Learning will prove to be useful in producing new perspectives to understand the humanistic tradition of Korea, and also in creating a practical philosophy required by the future. Humanities are desirable when it is created as ‘Trans-humanities’ which it can suggest the ideal direction of human life at the same time it affirms actual problems in this society and historical field. 이 논문은 한민족의 지평에서 본 전통지식에 현실과의 소통 구조를 확보해 보고자 문・사・철 통합 학문이었던 실학을 대상으로 주체적인 ‘적용(Anwendung)’을 하려는 시도이다. 오늘날 동아시아에서 동시적으로 진행되고 있는 학문의 위기는 기본적으로 산업화, 시장화라고 하는 학문의 재생산구조 변동에 기인하고 있다. 위와 같은 문제점 진단과 분석을 기반으로 우리 학계의 전통지식 연구 활동과 교육 활동의 방향성, 그리고 제도적인 문제들을 검토한다. 인문학의 궁극적 목표는 진리의 추구에 있지만 이러한 진리가 현실 생활과 직접 연결되어야 한다는 것이 실학자들의 공통된 인식이었으며, 실학의 문화적 복합성은 오히려 현재의 우리에게 실천 가능한 다양한 방식으로 그 정신을 계승할 수 있는 방법을 열어 주고 있다. 실학을 오늘날의 언어로 해석하고 번역하여 자기화할 수 있는 토대를 마련한다면 심화된 개인 연구 뿐 아니라 협동적 연찬(硏鑽)을 통해 확대된 학적 성과물을 실학의 실천적 재생산 운동으로 환원하는 대중화의 기반이 마련될 것이다. 이제 민족 전통지식의 사회적 확산을 목표로 하여 학문과 사회, 구체적인 삶을 분리시켰던 자기중심적인 학문 태도를 반성하고 저작 선집과 교양 평전을 통해 ‘지금, 여기에서 실학하기’라는 ‘소통 인문학(Trans-humanities)’으로의 패러다임 변화를 모색해 본다. 이로써 비판적이고 창조적인 적용 학문을 실현하고 실학의 사회적 실천 방안과 적용 가능성, 그리고 대중적 공유와 활용을 통한 사회적 효과를 기대할 수 있을 것이다.

인문적 삶을 위한 전통의 복원

김경미 ( Kyoung Mi Kim ) 성균관대학교 인문과학연구소 2009 人文科學 Vol.0 No.43