This paper tries to examine an ideological fountainhead of freedom and equality rooted in Korean philosophy through reception and transformation of Taoism in Korea.
A discussion of individual freedom and equality in the East Asian society involves wit...
This paper tries to examine an ideological fountainhead of freedom and equality rooted in Korean philosophy through reception and transformation of Taoism in Korea.
A discussion of individual freedom and equality in the East Asian society involves with intrinsic characteristics of traditional philosophy in the East Asia, in which appropriate understanding and awareness of nature of all things are emphasized. However, considering feudal politics that so long sustained through a status system for social order and security, the discussion has not been developed properly in our society. In this regard, philosophical movements in Western society that pull down a feudalistic order and establish social values regarding freedom and equality gives us a valuable insight on what we discuss values and ideologies of freedom and equality in our society. Nevertheless, there are possibilities of tarnishing indigenous meanings and values intrinsic in our ideological culture, and furthermore making a mistake of hasty generalization of the discussion within our society, relied on the Western theory system.
Therefore, this research focuses on examining an origin of values of freedom and equality functioned in our ideological culture through a process of reception and transformation of Taoism in Korea and, by extension, the process through its reception by Confucianists in the Joseon Dynasty. This also engages with reviewing political ideologies and movements of Neo-Confucianists(intellectual officialdom) in the Joseon in order for instituting the Neo-Confucian ideal society through by the agency of their reception of Taoism. In addition, it is closely associated with an unbiased process of research of freedom and equality in the East Asia generally discussed over Neo-Confucianism. Thus, this study tries to investigate in terms of a value neutral perspective political and cultural factors of Taoism, on the one hand, neglected by some of Neo-Confucianists in the Joseon and, on the other, adopted by.