Korea History: Tasan Chong Yagyong - Essay Example

s Tasan Chong Yagyong Chong Yag-Yong is an 18th century reformist who rigorously analyzed the social as well as the economic evils prevailing in the society and offered an alternative school of thought aiming at resolution of these issues. He offered solutions to socio-economic famine of the time by stressing on the significance of agriculture, fisheries, stock-raising and also sericulture. Furthermore, he strongly emphasized on egalitarian practices while developing a system facilitating land distribution. Also, he favored the fair placement of individuals in the professions best suited for them. The entire focus of his writings has been salvation for the marginalized and the destitute individuals in the society. In the religious pretext, Chong YagYong offered a philosophical paradigm to suit the modern times where he assimilated teachings of Confucianism and Catholicism to advocate for egalitarian principles alongside stressing on the significance on scientific learning. Also, he was opposed to the rigid stratification inherent to the Confucian paradigm; for which he had to undergo punishments and trials. Hence, the eighteenth century philosopher Chong YagYong not only proposed modernistic socio-economic values but also openly challenged the dynastic policy functioning in Korea during the era. Hence, Chong Yag-Yong may easily be identified as a modern and forward looking thinker and philosopher; a fact which can be explained by his socio-political thought, his economic ideas, his religious thought, his scientific discoveries along with other aspects (Setton 98-99). Therefore, the paper will aim at analyzing all these pretexts to argue how Chong was a modern and an innovative philosopher having radical ideas and intelligent scientific discoveries. Starting off with his philosophical attack on the dynastic religious institutions, it may be stated that the reforms proposed by him were quite rebellious in nature which readily confirm the modern touch in his thoughts. His works reflects an interesting interplay between the Confucian school as well as various political factions, where elements of Catholicism may also be found in his works. Therefore, he wasn’t just a proclaimed reformer, in fact he was a thorough philosopher who also explained the dynastic ideology and also unveiled the ideas such as the Taoist and Buddhist ones inherently neo-Confucian in thought. His ideas, especially the religious ideas often reflect a blend of Confucianism and also Catholicism. Furthermore, a comparison of the thought reflected by his works with that of the Japanese and Chinese thinkers of the era, it won`t be an understatement to say that he has an immense contribution in the philosophical thought in context to East Asian Confucian ideas, especially with respect to issues relating to morality and human nature (Setton 98-99). It was his radical philosophy which inclined him to lobby for a religious school of thought which was clearly a shift away from the orthodox Confucian ideas, which imply that he didn’t even shy away to offer a critique on clichéd religious values which eventually led to his exile. Arguing over the inclination of his work towards modern techniques to reform the system, his economic ideals must also be discussed. Analyzing the primary sources where Chong is addressing his son, he seems to be pointing towards the importance of defense capabilities as well as towards the importance of farming to improve the lives of the destitute. “Planting fruit & Vegetables in your garden would be far better than scribbling insignificant lines on your paper” he had written to his son. This excerpt is testimony to the fact that his perception towards economy, similar to that of the modern day thinkers, was central to his philosophical ideals. In his view, the farmers were the ones producing real wealth where the practices of gardening, cattle raising, sericulture and fishing held significance from his perspective. He further instructed via his ideas that all people living in the society must find employment in the sector they are best suited for depending on their personal abilities. This concept may also be related to the modern concept of the ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘division of labor’, where labor is suggested to specialize in their own fields and excel in that area (Toby 66-67). Furthermore, he directly connected the economic issues of the society with moral well being of the society. He talked immensely about industry and morality. Therefore, these ideas may be considered to be closer to character building on the nation via economic development of the state. In other words, his forward thinking led him to convince the people to never abandon their ideals, unlike the modern capitalists even though he was a staunch supporter of economic progress. In addition to the socio-economic ideas as well as the religious ideas proposed by him, he also fought for the advancement in scientific techniques for thinking in order to analyze issues related to public welfare. He was of the view that human mind must be utilized to its fullest and he naturally made various discoveries throughout the course of his life. For instance, at quite a young age, he proposed that a few boats may be used to build a pontoon; similarly, he once tried using a crane for building a castle wall. He also discovered and experimented with the science behind the pulley. He even wrote about the process of vaccination and inoculation, which can be confirmed by his personal notes. It can clearly be sensed that Chong felt that Koreans were behind the developed world in terms of scientific development and so he was also advocating for demonstration of creativity and utilization of the scientific method. (Toby 66-67) Furthermore, the discovery of tea can also be associated with Chong YagYong which was eventually popularized as his students learnt the method to make tea out of tea leaves, which had immense nutritional as well as health value. One of the texts where Chong instructs his youngest pupil reads as follow; “It is essential to steam the picked leaves three times and dry them three times, before grinding them very finely. Next that should be thoroughly mixed with water from a rocky spring and pounded like clay into a dense paste that is shaped into small cakes. Only then is it good to drink.” (Chong 11) His inclination towards herbal tea may be attributed as an orthodox idea which may go against the central thesis. Yet, the fact that the discovery of tea can also be attributed as a social reform since it affected the lives of the people in a multitude of ways can`t be ignored. Hence, there is no doubt left on the modern and progressive mode of thinking reflected by various aspects of his teachings and study. However, an analysis of the secondary sources clearly reflects that his thinking wasn’t limited to scientific development and socio-economic development. In fact, he wrote extensively on the subject of law, governance and politics at various places at various points in time. This aspect implies that he had a holistic approach towards state and society where he didn’t leave any gaps and touch upon all modern aspects of development. Amongst a vast array of books he had published, Mokminsimseo focuses on governance, and more precisely the minds of those governing people. Since he was striving to find ways to alleviate poverty in Korea, he often thought about how governance may contribute towards the cause (Chong 19). Hence, he came to the conclusion that the bureaucrats as well as the government may utilize their skills and play a key role to resolve the issue of poverty. Furthermore, he stated that the role of the governor in administrating the people fairly and justly plays a crucial role in governance. Also, he rested the responsibility of sympathizing with the poor and vulnerable segment of the society on the ruling elite solely. In this context, he also vehemently criticized the philosophers on pursuing the ideals for their own sake. He also called for reforms in the Gwageo exams held for people to qualify for royal services and argued that there should be scholastic focus on law, ritual and music as well. Hence, he argued for reforms in the political sector of Korea which indicted the radical and progressive inclination in his ideas. In this context, an analysis over Chong`s poetry which is more of an expression of human conduct and inclination towards the moral well being of his human subjects; where he a detachment from the classical Confucian ideas can easily be sensed. Hence Chong can easily be placed under the lens of modern eighteenth and nineteenth century thinkers and philosophers given his struggle to shift away from the orthodox thought prevailing in the era. For this reason, his contribution towards Sirhak which implies practical learning gave rise to what many modern thinkers now call the Sirhak School of thought (Chong 25). In this context, where he gave several ideals leading toward social reform, a point to be noted is that his poetry dealt with human as intellectual ‘subjects’ where he distinguished these subjects from ‘cosmos’ based on their ability for moral engagement. Thus, as stressed above as well, while Chong did shift towards modern ideals of Sirhak School of thought, he didn’t give up on the aspect of ‘ethics and morality’ as distinguished in the Confucian school of thought. Here, a few thinkers also presume that his loyalty to classical thought makes him more of a conservative thinker. However, again, the context must not be ignored where Chong dealt with these ‘subjects’ as moral beings in order to inspire them to contribute towards positive social change by applying Sirhak School of thought (Yi 3-4). Contrary to that, a traditional and an orthodox thinker would focus on the moral well being as a tool to ensure loyalty to the current social trends and even the government authority, all of which Chong scrutinized and criticized. Furthermore, on the subject of morality, another important aspect of his religious philosophy is how he perceived and defined morality and virtue. In the classical thought, virtue can be used inter-changeable with Ki. The concept of Ki as perceived by the classical thinkers implies that virtue is an inherent property endowed by God and must be perceived as given by the divine being. However, Chong rejected the idea of endowed virtue and dealt with his subjects as intellectual and creative beings. These intellectual subjects have been endowed with the capability to themselves judge between what is wrong and right. The decision of distinguishing between virtues and vices is subject which must be decided based on rationality (Haboush 13). Therefore, again, this inclination towards rationality is again evident is explicating how Chong`s philosophical ideals were inherently modern and progressive. Conclusively, Chong Yag-Yong is an 18th century reformist who can safely be attributed the title of being one of the most modern, progressive and forward looking thinkers of his time. A few analysts refer him as being closer to the orthodox philosophical ideologies with radical thought reflected only in his views against dynastic politics. However, this view can safely be refuted in light of the various ideas and practical learning skills which may be attributed to him. He openly challenged the dynastic politics and the religious values attached to it. He also borrowed a few modern yet rational values from the Catholic school of thought by discarding Confucianism in entirety while accepting a few of its virtues. He also gave reasons for economic wellbeing of a state while at the same time he also didn’t undermine the significance of law, governance, politics and administration (Chong 13). His progressive thinking and inclination towards development didn’t just stop there, he even emphasized on scientific progress and discoveries. Furthermore, another aspect in the debate deals with his inclination towards the Sirhak school of thought which implies practical learning, further explaining that humans are moral being who must undergo the ideals explicated in Sirhak school of thought given by Chong. Also, he rejected the idea of Ki where virtue must be accepted as given and rather insisted that human must use their intellect and rational thought to distinguish between right and wrong. Hence, combining these various aspects if his ideas and generating a trend, one can only come to one conclusion i.e. Chong YagYong is one of the most radical and progressive thinkers of all time. Works Cited: Primary Sources: Chŏng, Yag-yong, and Byonghyon Choi. Admonitions on Governing the People: Manual for All Administrators. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010. Internet resource. Chŏng, Yagyong. "Famine Relief." (2010). Print. Secondary Sources: HABOUSH, JAHYUN K. I. M. Epistolary Korea: Letters in the Communicative Space of the Choson, 1392-1910. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. Print. Toby, Ronald. Affirming ‘civilization’ in Exile: Chŏng Yagyong (1762-1836). , n.d.. Internet resource. Setton, M. (1997). Chŏng Yagyong: Koreas challenge to orthodox neo-Confucianism. Albany: State University of New York Press. Yi, Chŏng-hŭi. Tasan Ŭi Ingangwan Yŏngu =: Dasans Outlook on Human Being. Kongju: Yi Chŏng-hŭi, 2000. Print. Read More