유학의 분류개념으로 전장유학, 사장유학, 의리유학, 기저유학을 제시했으며, 고려중기 유학에 대한 지배적인 학설을 비판하면서 나의 신학설을 수립하였다.
최충의 사학 9재학당은 다분히 피상적인 연구에 머물렀던 것을 학당 설립의 배경에서부터 재호 명명의 의미와 그 편성의 논리를 의리유학적으로 접근하여 구명하였다. 공맹이래 유학의 수기?치인의 본령이 불교전성 시대의 관점인 수신(수기)을 불교의 기능, 치국(치인)을 유교의 기능으로 인식해오던 것을 최충은 수기?치인을 일원적으로 통합, 유교의 본령을 복구하고 중국 전도학 그룹의 영향을 받아 유학에 대한 특단의 고양된 인식을 가졌다. 그래서 공자를 모델로 한 성인신하후보를 배양하는 사학을 설립했는데, 학당의 9개 재호와 그 편성의 논리를 作聖방법으로서의 의리유학으로 보았다.
이 최충의 의리유학의 맹아는 이론적으로 발전할 수 있는 터전으로 저작을 남기지 못해 뒤이어 송으로부터 전래된 심급높은 의리유학인 왕안석의 신학에 의해 무색하게 되었다. 예종?인종 연간을 고조기로 한 신학은 성명도덕논리의 국시로서의 통행과 심급높은 경의학의 흥기로 특징지어지는데, 그동안 학계가 도학의 명제로 알아왔던 성명도덕논리가 왕안석의 사상임을 밝혔고, 경의학은 왕안석의 新義의 영향과, 국학과 과거제의 정비를 통하여 흥기했음을 밝혔다. 그러나 왕안석의 성명도덕론의 난해성과 혼란성으로 인하여 국시가 주로 구두담론으로 통행하다가 무신란 이후 사라지고, 경의학도 초기의 열정이 없어지고 고식화되어 갔다.
무신란 이후의 사장에 나오는 ‘窮理盡性’?‘因性循理’의 어사를 성리학의 명제로 알고 이 시대에 이미 성리학이 상당히 보급된 것으로 아는 학계 일부의 주장에 대해 궁리진성은 당초의 용법대로이지 송대의 성리학적으로 특화된 명제가 아니며, 인성순리는 ‘순리대로’란 뜻이지 성리학적 性에 근거하여 性卽理나 所當然之理를 따른다는 명제가 아님을 밝혔다. 고려중기까지의 유학은 전장유학과 사장유학이 주도해 왔다. 따라서 우리나라 의리유학의 정통은 13세기 후반기에 고려에 전래된 주자학이 그것이다. 그리고 고종대 정의의 賦에 나오는 리기는 정이의 개념이 아니라 『회남자』에 나오는 노자적 개념임을 밝혔다.
This paper suggests the terms of Confucianism for Decrees and Regulations (典章儒學), Confucianism for Verse and Prose (辭章儒學), Confucianism as Philosophical Thought (義理儒學), and Confucianism for Basis and Foundation (基底儒學), for the classification of Confucianism, and also raises a new theory on Confucianism in the mid-Kory? period criticizing preceding researches.
First of all, as for the Kujae Haktang (九齋學堂, Nine Hall Institute), a private school established by Ch’oe Ch’ung (崔沖), which has been rather insufficiently researched, this paper demonstrates the background of its establishment, the meaning of the each name of the nine halls and its logic of organization, from the perspective of Confucianism for principles and righteousness. Ch’oe Ch’ung combines together the concept of Xiushen (修身, cultivating one’s moral character) and Zhiguo (治國, governing a country well) in terms of Confucianism to recover the original meaning of the terms which has been understood separately in the prism of prevailing understanding in the period of Buddhism that Xiushen is related to Buddhism and Zhiguo to Confucianism. He establishes a private school with his considerable understanding of Confucianism which was deeply influenced by the pre-Dao Learning scholars, to cultivate the retainer-candidates who pursuit to be a sage-like person modeling after Confucius. This paper proves that nine names of the rooms of the school and its logic of organization is related to the way of being a sage in terms of Confucianism as Philosophical Thought.
The germinating Confucianism as Philosophical Thought formulated by Ch’oe Ch’ung, however, did not have such sound theoretical foundations that it was eclipsed by the New Learning suggested by Wang Anshi from the Song dynasty. This New learning reaching its prime in the reign of King Yejong and Injong is characterized by two phenomena: a widespread thesis on Xingming Daode (性命道德, the nature and the fate, the way and the virtue) as a national academic policy, and a rise of a relatively high level of the Jingyixue (經義學, learning on the meaning of the Classic). This paper elucidates that the theory on Xingming Daode during that period, which has been recognized as a proposition of Dao Learnings, was in fact originated from Wang, and Jingyixue burgeoned under the influence of the New Learning with the improvement of national school and the state examination system. However, the theory suggested by Wang is so complex and intricate that the discourses mostly occurred in the verbal form and disappeared after the Military Officers’ Revolt in 1170.
This paper rebuts the contention that Neo-Confucianism was already pervasive in this period, predicated on the assumption that the phrases such as Qiongli Jinxing (窮理盡性, probing the principle and exhausting the nature) or Yinxing Xunli (因性循理, following the fate and the principle) in literary writings after the Military Officers’ Revolt are propositions of Neo-Confucianism, and suggests that the proposition Qiongli Jinxing should be understood in its original meaning, not under the rubric of Neo-Confucianism. In the same vein, this paper also argues that Yinxing Xunli here simply means ‘to follow the natural flow’, that it does not relevant to the proposition of Neo-Confucianism at all, i.e. to follow “the principle that is what ought to be’ (所當然之理) or ‘the nature is principle’ (性卽理), based on the Xing (性) discourse in the Song period. Confucianism for Decrees and Regulations and Confucianism for Verse and Prose were dominant until the Mid-Kory? Period. Therefore, the orthodoxy of Confucianism as Philosophical Thought in Korea was derived from the doctrines Zhuzi xue (朱子學) that was imported to Kory? in the late 13th century. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates that the concept of Li (理) and Qi(氣) that appears in a fu (賦, rhapsody) work by Ch?ng Yi (鄭義) in the reign of King Kojong is based on that of Laozi (老子) from Huainanzi (淮南子), not that of Cheng Yi (程?).