Exploration to Korean Philosophy

Sojeong Park

University students interested in Korean philosophy

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Humanities

General

We explore the possibilities of “Korean philosophy” that possesses a uniquely Korean specificity while also functioning as universal philosophy.

1. Understand the specificity of Korean philosophy and the potential for it to function as universal philosophy.

2. Understand the birth of the genealogy of Korean philosophy and the debates between Confucianism and Buddhism that arose within it.

3. Understand the philosophical issues contained in the diagrams of Korean Confucianism and the key points of the controversies they engendered.

Week 1

Korean Philosophy in Global Era

1. Why "Korean philosophy" in the Global Era?

2. "Korean philosophy" as an exploration of the perennial questions

3. "Philosophy" and "Korean philosophy"

Week 2

Philosophy as Modern Phenomenon

1. Philosophy, the Love of Wisdom, or the Quest for Enlightenment?

2. “Philosophy” to the Perennial Questions

3. The Conceptual History of “Philosophy”

4. Why Do We Philosophize?

5. Cross-cultural philosophy after Philosophy

Week 3

Cross Cultural Gaze on Korean Philosophy

1. Doing Korean Philosophy Here and Now

2. Philosophizing Here and Now

3. Different Concept Cluster of Korean Philosophy

4. Concept Clusters and Clustered Concepts

5. Different Concept Clusters: Study, Reading, Hard Working and Cultivating

6. Different Concept Clusters and Clustering as Philosophizing

7. Concepts Clustered through Korean Philosophical Grammar

Week 4

The Emergence of Korean Philosophical Genealogy

1. Budding to Blossoming

2. The Genealogy of Korean Confucianism

3. Why did Korean Intellectuals Endorse Zhu Xi?

4. Two Giants in the Korean Confucian Genealogy

5. Copernican Turn: “What I See” to “What We See across from Within”

6. Korean Confucianism was Conceived before the Joseon Dynasty

7. Seong-li-hak, Learning ‘Human as Heaven’

8. Heaven and Humans are One and Continuous

Week 5

Confucian-Buddhist Debate

1. Koreans Like to Argue?!

2. Confucianism’s Self-justification against Daoism and Buddhism

3. Sambong’s First Criticism: Simmun Cheondap 心問天答 “The Mind Asks, Heaven Answers”

4. Sambong’s Second Criticism: Sim-Gi-Li-pyeon 心氣理篇 “On the Mind, Material Force, and Principle”

5. Reconstructed Debate between Confucian and Buddhist Intellectuals

6. After the Confucian-Buddhism Debate

Week 6

Thinking and Debating through Diagrams

1. Introduction of Diagrams to Neo-Confucian Cosmology

2. The Cosmo-Numerological Diagrams in Song China

3. Diagrams of Human Existence and Life in Joseon Korea

4. Inheritance of the First Generation of Domestication of Neo-Confucianism

Week 7

Exploring the Heart-Mind through Heavenly Mandate

1. The Human Heart-mind is the Gateway to Heaven

2. From Heaven and Humans, Cheon-In 天人, into Heart-Mind and Nature, Sim-Seong 心性

3. Maum(마음), Simseong 心性 or Seongjeong 性情?

4. Maum & Haneul (하늘), Reaching Heaven through the Heart-mind?

5. Debating over Diagrams of Heavenly Mandate

6. The Basic Composition of Cheonmyeong-do that Toegye Defended on Behalf of Chuman

Week 8

Heavenly Mandate to Four-Seven Debate

1. Cheonmyeong to the Innate Potential

2. Into the Inner Universe: Heart-Mind and Nature, Sim-Seong 心性

3. Metaphysical Interpretation of Human Conditions

4. The Four-Seven Debate: At the Crossroads of Good and Evil

5. Libal and Seven Feelings Underlined in Korean Neo-Confucianism

Placing Korean Philosophy Globally

Wonjun Lee, Richard McBride, Robert Buswell, Donald Baker, George Kallander, Halla Kim

Domestic and international learners interested in Korean philosophy

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Humanities (Humanities Studies)

General

This lecture is designed to introduce crucial subjects in Korean philosophy from the perspectives of scholars abroad.

1. Learners can examine the international status of Korean philosophy by exploring figures and ideas representing Korean philosophy from the perspectives of foreign researchers.

2. Learners can explain the status and significance of Buddhism and Confucianism, which occupy central positions in Korean philosophy as traditional philosophies.

3. Learners can describe where Korean philosophy currently stands on the international stage.

Week 1

How Should We Understand Korean Philosophy?

1. The flow and characteristics of Korean philosophy as structured in this lecture (1) – from Week 2 to Week 7

2. Building background knowledge of Korean Buddhist philosophy (1) – The diversification of Buddhism

3. Building background knowledge of Korean Buddhist philosophy (2) – The syncretism of Korean Buddhism

4. Building background knowledge of Korean Confucian philosophy (1) – How Neo-Confucianism became representative of Korean Confucianism

5. Building background knowledge of Korean Confucian philosophy (2) – Various concepts of Neo-Confucianism

6. Building background knowledge of Korean Confucian philosophy (3) – The concerns of Korean Confucian philosophers across Neo-Confucianism and Silhak

7. The flow and characteristics of Korean philosophy as structured in this lecture (2) – Week 8 and Week 9

Week 2

Doctrinal Reconciliation and the One Mind: Wonhyo’s Approach to Buddhism

1. Wonhyo's Life and Writings

2. Backgrounds for Understanding Wonhyo's Buddhism

3. Reconciling Doctrinal Controversies

4. Wonhyo’s Analytical and Syncretic Approaches to Buddhism

5. The Logic of Wonhyo’s Doctrinal Syncretism

6. Return to the “One Mind”

Week 3

Unimpeded Interpenetration and Perfect Interfusion: Uisang’s Buddhist Thought

1. Doing Korean Philosophy Here and Now

2. Philosophizing Here and Now

3. Different Concept Cluster of Korean Philosophy

4. Concept Clusters and Clustered Concepts

5. Different Concept Clusters: Study, Reading, Hard Working and Cultivating

6. Different Concept Clusters and Clustering as Philosophizing

7. Concepts Clustered through Korean Philosophical Grammar

Week 4

Chinul and his Centrality to the Korean Buddhist Philosophical Tradition: Focusing on his Soteriological Thought

1. Introduction

2. Sudden/Gradual Debate in Sŏn

3. Sudden Awakening And Gradual Cultivation

4. Chinul`s Analysis on Buddhist Issues

5. Influence of Chinul's Soteriological Approach on Korean Buddhism

6. Conclusion

Week 5

What is Korean about Korean Confucianism

1. Introduction

2. The Four-Seven Debate

3. The Moral Rationale for T'oegye's Analytical Approach

4. The Ethical Reasoning behind Yulgok’s Differences with T'oegye

5. Ethical Optimism and Moral Tension in the Yulgok School

6. Dasan and the search for supernatural assistance against moral frailty

7. Conclusion

Week 6

Yulgok Yi I

1. The Life of a Young Yulgok

2. Yulgok’s Return to Confucianism

3. Confucianism as Non-theistic and Anthropocosmic

4. Education as the path to sagehood

5. The Moral psychology of Yulgok

6. Sincerity

7. Yulgok’s advice to King Sŏnjo

Week 7

Dasan Jeong Yagyong : How to be Moral

1. Introduction-Dasan's Confucian Ethics

2. Dasan and Catholicism in Korea

3. Dasan and Confucian Debates in Korea

4. Dasan Redefines Human Nature and Virtue

5. Dasan`s Free Will

6. Inserting God Into Neo-Confucianism-Dasan's Pragmatic Theology

7. The Goal of Dasan’s Theology-Becoming “Sincere”

8. Conclusion

Week 8

Book Talk on Donghak

1. Introduction

2. Section One : Ch’oe Cheu and the Foundations of Donghak①

3. Section One : Ch’oe Cheu and the Foundations of Donghak②

4. Section Two: Donghak 1864—1890s①

5. Section Two: Donghak 1864—1890s②

Week 9

Modern Korean Philosophy

1. Introduction

2. New Developments in Buddhism - Han Yong'un

3. New Developments in Buddhism - Baek Seonguk

4. New Developments in Buddhism - Kim Ilyeup

5. New Developments in Buddhism - Seongcheol and Minjung Buddhism

6. The Dawn of Marxism in Korea

7. A Christian-Confucian Synthesis - Yu Yeong-Mo

8. A Christian-Confucian Synthesis - Ham Seok-heon

9. New Horizen of Korean Philosophy

Week 10

Q&A for Understanding “Korean Philosophy”

1. Introduction to SEP and the “Korean Philosophy” entry

2. Q&A session

3. Conclusion of the lecture

Diverse Voices about Korean Philosophy

Kyo Bin Kim, Geunsik Seo, JeoungSim Park, Haenghoon Lee, Mincheol Park, Sungmin Kim, Hakrae Park

University students interested in Korean philosophy

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Humanities

General

“Diverse Voices on Korean Philosophy” is filled with candid stories from researchers who are currently studying Korean philosophy. Korean philosophy is not only about what is recorded in the history of Korean philosophy as a subject of research, but also about the ongoing work of today’s researchers. Therefore, the topics, methods, thoughts, experiences, concerns, and suggestions of these researchers represent one facet of a living Korean philosophy. This lecture will continue to expand; the current series focuses on the following themes: Modern Korean philosophy, academic societies as the arena of contemporary Korean philosophy research, unification as a contemporary issue, and the locality of Korean philosophy.

1. Understand and apply the methodological features of philosophical thinking.

2. Summarize and explain the characteristics of the modern period in the history of Korean philosophy.

3. Explain the reception and transformation of philosophical concepts and trends in modern Korea.

4. Compare sociological, humanistic, and “Unification Humanities” perspectives on unification.

5. Describe the characteristics and historical significance of modern Honam Confucianism.

Week 1

Academic Societies as a Field of Contemporary Korean Philosophy Research (1): The Progressiveness of Philosophy and the Association for Korean Philosophical Thought

1. The importance of worldview and the expansiveness of thinking in doing philosophy

2. The historical background and founding of the Association for Korean Philosophical Thought

3. The academic characteristics and significance of the Association for Korean Philosophical Thought

4. Why humanities and thinking ability are important in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI

Week 2

Academic Societies as a Field of Contemporary Korean Philosophy Research (2): The Department of Korean Philosophy and the Society for the History of Korean Philosophy

1. The educational and academic goals of establishing the Department of Korean Philosophy

2. The background and development of the Society for the History of Korean Philosophy

3. The academic activities of the Society for the History of Korean Philosophy

4. The academic significance of the Society for the History of Korean Philosophy

Week 3

On Modern Korean Thought (1): Modern Korea and Korean Philosophy

1. The acceptance of Western modernity in the East, including Korea, and the resulting ideological changes

2. The independence of Korea’s philosophical thought and the critical understanding of pre-modern thought

3. Exploring directions for discovering and researching the inherent characteristics and philosophical significance of Korean philosophy

4. The need for in-depth exploration and critical awareness of Korean thought

Week 4

On Modern Korean Thought (2): A Conceptual History Approach to Modern Korea

1. Why the study of modern Korean thought is necessary for current and future research

2. The acceptance and understanding of philosophical concepts in Korea during the modern period

3. Understanding the conceptual historical research method and its significance

4. Tasks for the dissemination and spread of Korean philosophy: collaborative research, curricula, and changes in perception

Week 5

On Modern Korean Thought (3): The Acceptance of Western Philosophy and Postcolonial Explorations

1. The vibrancy and forms of philosophy in modern and contemporary Korea

2. Thinking in each period of modern and contemporary Korea, and the connection between historicity and dialectics in Hegel's philosophy

3. How Korea’s traditional thought manifested throughout the development of modern and contemporary periods

4. A comparative understanding of postcolonial methodologies through analysis of philosophers’ thought during the Japanese colonial period

5. Difficulties and critical awareness in the study of Korean philosophy after modernity: Division of the two Koreas, direction, and attitude

Week 6

A Philosophical Approach to Contemporary Issues in Korea: Philosophical Reflection on Division and Unification

1. The background and conceptual understanding of the emergence of Unification Humanities as an agenda

2. Understanding the complementarity and substitutability of unification discourses by comparing sociological and humanistic approaches

3. The need for practical understanding of the divided Korean Peninsula and the need for multifaceted discourse

4. The structural impact of the division habitus and clues for its transformation

Week 7

The Locality of Korean Philosophy: Reconstructing Honam Confucianism

1. The process by which microscopic studies of Confucianism in various regions merge into an integrated, macroscopic study of Confucianism

2. The academic styles and developments of diverse Confucian studies in different regions throughout the Joseon dynasty

3. The research on the regional characteristics of Korean Confucianism and the efforts and methodologies required for an overall understanding of Confucianism: diversification and digitization of resources

Life, Confucianism, and Korean Philosophy

KyungHyunn Kang

General

Garam Kim

Humanities

Introductory

This course examines the significance of Korean traditional philosophy in contemporary Korean society, with a focus on Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, particularly the intellectual context of Zhu Xi’s thought. Confucianism, which began with Confucius and Mencius, was systematized philosophically through Zhu Xi, and the Neo-Confucian tradition that emerged in this process permeated deeply into Korea’s intellectual framework and broader cultural life throughout the Joseon dynasty.

Structured over twelve weeks, this course first introduces the philosophical foundations and moral orientations of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism. It then examines Confucian understandings of human life and death, as well as family and community, through an exploration of traditional rites of passage—kwanhon-sangje (coming-of-age, marriage, funeral, and ancestral rites). In doing so, the course highlights how ritual culture in the traditional period functioned not merely as ceremonial practice, but as a site of ethical and philosophical reflection.

The course also explores themes such as “sacrifice,” “solitude,” “benevolent mind,” “ways of engaging the world,” and “the ideal life and society,” seeking to illuminate how traditional philosophy can be connected to contemporary life. Through Confucianism and Korean philosophy, it invites reflection on the enduring question of “how one ought to live well,” demonstrating that traditional thought continues to breathe vitality into present and future ways of life.

1. Understand the core philosophical concepts of Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, particularly Zhu Xi’s thought, and explain their connection to the intellectual foundations of contemporary Korean society.

2. Analyze Confucian perspectives on life and death, family, and community through the traditional rites of passage (kwanhon-sangje), and interpret their cultural and ethical significance.

3. Reflect on modern themes such as “sacrifice,” “solitude,” and “the ideal life” from a Confucian perspective, and think critically and creatively about the values of life grounded in traditional philosophy.

Week 1

Korean Philosophy in Global Era

1. Orientation

2. The Moral Life and the Aims of Moral Education

3. Confucius and the Ideal of Humanity (Ren)

4. Mencius and the Goodness of Human Nature

5. Zhu Xi and the Orientation of the World

6. Yi Hwang and the Guiding Force of Our Lives

7. A World of Mutual Coexistence through Love and Care

Week 2

The Dap(道) of Confucianism and the Li(理) of Neo-Confucianism

1. Understanding the Continuity between Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism

2. The Importance of the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean)

3. The DaoPresented in the Zhongyong

4. Diverse Interpretations of the Zhongyong

5. Philosophical Perspectives Contained in the Zhongyong

Week 3

What Do Human Beings Live By? (1): The Virtue of Adulthood

1. Becoming an Adult in the Confucian Tradition

2. How Do We Become Adults?

3. Coming-of-Age Rituals in Traditional Confucianism: Guanli(冠禮) and Jieli(筓禮)

4. The Procedures of Guanli: Shijia(始加), Zaijia (再加), and Sanjia(三加)

5. The Significance of Guanli

6. The Meaning of Adulthood

Week 4

What Do Human Beings Live By? (2): Continuity of Life and Family

1. Family Bonding and Marriage

2. The Attitudes of Both Families toward the Wedding

3. The Procedures of the Wedding Ceremony

4. Understanding Family through Marriage

Week 5

What Do Human Beings Live By? (3): Death, Grief, and Life

1. The Confucian Perspective on Death

2. Unpredictable Death and Funerary Rites

3. Condolence Visits

4. Temporary Ancestral Tablet

5. Funeral Attire: Degrees of Grief

6. Burial and the Formal Ancestral Tablet: The Birth of the Spirit Tablet

7. Return to Everyday Life

8. Two Dimensions of Funerary Rites: Grief and Everyday Life

Week 6

What Do Human Beings Live By? (4): Remembering

1. Remembering Ancestors through Ancestral Rites

2. Where Do I Come From?

3. Forms of Ancestral Rites

4. The Procedures of the Seasonal Rite (Sasije, 四時祭)

5. Ancestral Rites and the Continuity of Life

Week 7

Sacrifice

1. On Moral Sacrifice

2. The Development of Moral Philosophy in Joseon Confucianism: Yi Hwang’s Concept of Li(理)

3. Moral Sacrifice as Depicted in Dramas

4. Moral Orientation and the Moral Mind

5. Moral Sacrifice as Self-Realization

Week 8

The Status and Role of Human Beings

1. Confucian Reflections on the Ideal Community: The Doctrine of Rectifying Names (Jeongmyeongnon, 正名論)

2. A Neo-Confucian Approach to the Ideal Community: Seoming(西銘)

3. The Confucian View of the World

4. Understanding the World as the Ground of Human Life

5. Filial Piety (Hyo, 孝) for the Preservation and Coexistence of the Community

6. The Moral Order Based on Kinship Relations and Filial Piety (Hyo, 孝)

5. Humaneness (Ren, 仁) as the Origin of Love and Care

Week 9

Ways of Engaging the World

1. The Participatory Attitude toward Life Proposed in Confucianism

2. Ways of Understanding Others

3. Exerting a Positive Influence on Others

4. Setting Aside Prejudices and Facing Others as They Are

5. Living as Myself while Loving Others

Week 10

The Benevolent Mind and the Power of Knowledge

1. The Human Mind and the Orientation of the World

2. The Human Mind and the Orientation of the World

3. Mencius and Xunzi on Human Nature

4. Nature (Seong, 性) and Mind (Sim, 心) in Zhu Xi’s Philosophy

5. Conclusion: The Two Aspects of the Human