The Confucian studies of Joseon entered a new stage of development through the Horak debates in the Giho academic circle. Horon and Nakron could establish their philosophical and theoretical stances more clearly through these debates. Horon was founde...
The Confucian studies of Joseon entered a new stage of development through the Horak debates in the Giho academic circle. Horon and Nakron could establish their philosophical and theoretical stances more clearly through these debates. Horon was founded by Hansujae Kwon Sangha with the theory of Yi-Gi (理氣) philosophy of Yulgok and the Chunchuuiri (春秋義理) spirit of Wooam and more developed by the disputes of Gangmunpalhaksa, and its theoretical structure was completed by Namdang Han Wonjin. The academic traditions of Horon focuses on the Confucian legitimism of Dao, stresses moral righteousness and has strong Chunchuuiri spirit. They share the philosophy of Jik (直) and shows the characteristics of enhancing the value of distinguishment.
Horon developed a lively philosophical and ideological debates, and based on those debates, they produced many books such as Juja Eonron Dongygo (朱子言論同異攷) that showed the high academic level of Neo-Confucian studies of Joseon. It can be evaluated as a great achievement academically that they produced rich academic results through their studies of Neo-Confucianism. However, they did not want the growth of other academics than Neo-Confucianism as out-of-boundary of New-Confucianism and heretical and suppressed them. According to Namdang Han Wonjin, a representative figure of Horon, the nature of humans and animals is not the same. And the barbarians exist between humans and animals. Just as the nature of man and animals is not the same, so is the nature of man and the barbarians. Because the barbarians are close to animals. Therefore, the legitimacy of the country and history that the barbarians founded cannot be accepted.
The Chunchuuiri view of history of Namdang is likely to make it difficult to open-mindedly and interact with the Qing. Horon thinks only its position is politically true, and tends to reject Soron, which is a counter political faction, as a party of inferior people of Nansinjeokja.
They rejected the theory of Tangpyeong, refused political coexistence, and held the one-party self-righteous belief that only their political faction had the right fidelity.
The Chunchuuiri thought of Horon, which is hostile to the barbarians, is the ideological background and basis for the Wijeongcheoksa theory of the Hwaseo academic circle in the late period of Joseon. Horon was respected as an ideological source who actively advocated Wijeongcheoksa theory as the Western civilization penetrated into Joseon society.