Abstract
This essay attempts a philosophical reflection of the Confucian ideal of "scholar-official" in Joseon Korea's neo-Confucian context. It explores why this noble ideal of a Confucian public being had to suffer many moral-political problems in reality. It argues first that because the institution of Confucian scholar-official was actually a modus-operandi compromise between Confucianism and Legalism, the Confucian scholar-officials were torn between their ethical commitment to Confucianism and their political commitment to the state; and second, that because the Cheng-Zhu neo-Confucianism vigorously imported and indigenized by Joseon Koreans exalted the family over the state, Joseon neo-Confucian scholar-officials were torn between two competing moral obligations, filiality and loyalty. The essay concludes by discussing whether, given the problems with which the ideal of the Confucian scholar-official was frequently entangled, liberal individualism should be pursued as its normative alternative.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 29-48 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Dao |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 Mar 1 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Philosophy
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Trouble with Korean confucianism : Scholar-official between ideal and reality. / Kim, Sungmoon.
In: Dao, Vol. 8, No. 1, 01.03.2009, p. 29-48.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Trouble with Korean confucianism
T2 - Scholar-official between ideal and reality
AU - Kim, Sungmoon
PY - 2009/3/1
Y1 - 2009/3/1
N2 - This essay attempts a philosophical reflection of the Confucian ideal of "scholar-official" in Joseon Korea's neo-Confucian context. It explores why this noble ideal of a Confucian public being had to suffer many moral-political problems in reality. It argues first that because the institution of Confucian scholar-official was actually a modus-operandi compromise between Confucianism and Legalism, the Confucian scholar-officials were torn between their ethical commitment to Confucianism and their political commitment to the state; and second, that because the Cheng-Zhu neo-Confucianism vigorously imported and indigenized by Joseon Koreans exalted the family over the state, Joseon neo-Confucian scholar-officials were torn between two competing moral obligations, filiality and loyalty. The essay concludes by discussing whether, given the problems with which the ideal of the Confucian scholar-official was frequently entangled, liberal individualism should be pursued as its normative alternative.
AB - This essay attempts a philosophical reflection of the Confucian ideal of "scholar-official" in Joseon Korea's neo-Confucian context. It explores why this noble ideal of a Confucian public being had to suffer many moral-political problems in reality. It argues first that because the institution of Confucian scholar-official was actually a modus-operandi compromise between Confucianism and Legalism, the Confucian scholar-officials were torn between their ethical commitment to Confucianism and their political commitment to the state; and second, that because the Cheng-Zhu neo-Confucianism vigorously imported and indigenized by Joseon Koreans exalted the family over the state, Joseon neo-Confucian scholar-officials were torn between two competing moral obligations, filiality and loyalty. The essay concludes by discussing whether, given the problems with which the ideal of the Confucian scholar-official was frequently entangled, liberal individualism should be pursued as its normative alternative.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=60549097847&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11712-009-9105-1
DO - 10.1007/s11712-009-9105-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:60549097847
VL - 8
SP - 29
EP - 48
JO - Dao
JF - Dao
SN - 1540-3009
IS - 1
ER -