Dao Companion to Korean Confucian Philosophy (Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy, 11)

This volume is the first comprehensive and in-depth discussion written in English of the Confucian tradition in the context of the intellectual history of Korea. It deals with the historical, social, political, philosophical and spiritual dimensions of Korean Confucianism, arguably the most influential intellectual tradition, ethical and religious practice, and political-ideological system in Korea. This volume analyzes the unique aspects of the Korean development of the Confucian tradition by examining the role of Confucianism as the ruling ideology of the Choson Dynasty (1302-1910). It investigates Confucianism’s social and cultural construction, and intellectual foundation in highlighting the Korean achievement of the Neo-Confucian discussion on "human nature and its principle" in light of the Chinese Neo-Confucian development. The volume also surveys the most influential Korean Confucian scholars discussing their philosophical significance in relation to one of the most fundamental Neo-Confucian discourses, namely the li (principle) and qi (material force) debates, to elucidate how metaphysical theories shaped the socio-political factions of the Choson Dynasty. Furthermore, issues concerning the relationship between Confucianism and Buddhism and other native traditional belief systems are also included in this volume. The volume explores the Confucian confrontation with modernity, encounter with the "Western Learning" including Western science and Catholicism, and the Confucian struggle with modernity in dealing with issues such as democracy, human rights, and gender in modern Korea. Individual contributors of this volume are either well established senior scholars or promising young scholars in the field. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction (Young-chan Ro)....Pages 1-14 Front Matter ....Pages 15-15 Korean Neo-Confucian Thought (Michael C. Kalton)....Pages 17-46 What is Korean about Korean Confucianism? (Don Baker)....Pages 47-71 Front Matter ....Pages 73-73 “History, Philosophy, and Spirituality of the Four-Seven Debate: The Korean Neo-Confucian Interpretation of Human Nature, Emotions, and Self-Cultivation” (Edward Y. J. Chung)....Pages 75-112 A Sixteenth-Century Neo-Confucian Korean Critical Response to the Chinese Luo Zheng’an’s Theory of Human and Moral Mind (Yueh-hui Lin)....Pages 113-132 Front Matter ....Pages 133-133 Sŏ Kyŏngdŏk and the Rise of the Philosophy of Ki 氣 (Jung Yeup Kim)....Pages 135-158 Toegye: His Life, Learning and Times (Michael C. Kalton)....Pages 159-178 Yi Yulgok’s Life and His Neo-Confucian Synthesis (Young-chan Ro)....Pages 179-195 Song Siyŏl: The Revival of a Qi-Oriented Approach to the Interpretation of the Mind (Shinhwan Kwak)....Pages 197-209 Front Matter ....Pages 211-211 The Sarim Movement and Confucian Philosophy (Oaksook Chun Kim)....Pages 213-231 The Horak Debate Concerning Human Nature and the Nature of All Other Beings (Suk Gabriel Choi)....Pages 233-251 Korean Yangming Learning (So-Yi Chung)....Pages 253-281 Front Matter ....Pages 283-283 Philosophical Bases of the Goryeo-Joseon Confucian-Buddhist Confrontation: The Works of Jeong Dojeon (Sambong) and Hamheo Deuktong (Gihwa) (A. Charles Muller)....Pages 285-309 A Meeting of Extremes: The Symbiosis of Confucians and Shamans (Boudewijn C. A. Walraven)....Pages 311-335 Western Learning and New Directions in Korean Neo-Confucianism (Don Baker)....Pages 337-361 Dasan Jeong Yak-yong: A Synthesizer of Korean Confucianism (Hongkyung Kim)....Pages 363-379 Front Matter ....Pages 381-381 Neo-Confucianism, Women, and the Law in Chosŏn Korea (Jisoo M. Kim)....Pages 383-395 Korean Confucianism and Women’s Leadership in the Twenty-First Century – A Religious Reflection on Gang Jeongildang 姜靜一堂 (1772–1832), a Woman Confucian Scholar in the Late Joseon Dynasty (Un-sunn Lee)....Pages 397-422