Dao Companion to Korean Confucian Philosophy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Introduction

   • Young-chan Ro

   Pages 1-14

3. Historical and Philosophical Overview

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15

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   2. Korean Neo-Confucian Thought

      • Michael C. Kalton

      Pages 17-46

   3. What is Korean about Korean Confucianism?

      • Don Baker

      Pages 47-71

4. Development of Korean Neo-Confucian Philosophical Issues and Controversies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73

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   2. “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

   3. 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

5. Major Figurers of Korean Confucianism

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 133-133

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   2. Sŏ Kyŏngdŏk and the Rise of the Philosophy of Ki 氣

      • Jung Yeup Kim

      Pages 135-158

   3. Toegye: His Life, Learning and Times

      • Michael C. Kalton

      Pages 159-178

   4. Yi Yulgok’s Life and His Neo-Confucian Synthesis

      • Young-chan Ro

      Pages 179-195

   5. Song Siyŏl: The Revival of a Qi-Oriented Approach to the Interpretation of the Mind

      • Shinhwan Kwak

      Pages 197-209

6. Diverse Developments of Korean Confucianism

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 211-211

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   2. The Sarim Movement and Confucian Philosophy

      • Oaksook Chun Kim

      Pages 213-231

   3. The Horak Debate Concerning Human Nature and the Nature of All Other Beings

      • Suk Gabriel Choi

      Pages 233-251

   4. Korean Yangming Learning

      • So-Yi Chung

      Pages 253-281

7. Korean Confucianism in Encounter with Other Traditions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 283-283

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   2. 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

   3. A Meeting of Extremes: The Symbiosis of Confucians and Shamans

      • Boudewijn C. A. Walraven

      Pages 311-335

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.

• AAR
• Chinese philosophy
• Confucian philosophy
• Confucianism
• Dao
• Daoism
• Korean confucian philosophy
• Tao
• Taoism

“The collection of eighteen essays in this book offers a comprehensive and current introduction to various aspects of Korean Confucianism, making it the most extensive resource available in English-speaking academia. … I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Korean Confucian tradition. Readers will likely find the essays informative and thought-provoking.” (Youngsun Back, Dao, Vol. 22 (2), 2023)

• Department of Religious Studies, George Mason University, Annandale, USA

  Young-chan Ro

Professor Ro received his BA from Yonsei University (Korea), an MTh from Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, VA, and his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Ro has written The Korean Neo-Confucianism of Yi Yulgok, and co-authored The Four-Seven Debate: An Annotated Translation of the Most Famous Controversy in Korean Neo-Confucian Thought. He is working on a new translation of Dao De Jing.

He also published several book chapters in Neo-Confucianism including Ecological Implications of Yi Yulgok's Cosmology Confucianism and Ecology, and “Morality, Spirituality, and Spontaneity in Korean Neo-Confucianism”, Confucian Spirituality, Volume Two. He has published many articles in Korean studies, Confucian studies, and comparative religion. He is a recipient of the 2004 Yulgok Scholarly Award, the most prestigious academic award in Confucian studies in Korea.

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