A Study On Toegye's Aesthetic Thought

Toegye (Yi Hwang) was a famous representative of Confucian school of idealist philosophy in Korea. His thought was originated from Zhu Xi but developed something new. Its core is of neither pure philosophy nor pure ethnics, but includes his views of aesthetics which are established on his learn of Xing-Li and applied to life experiences.The core aforesaid, as Toegye's greatest contribution to the Confucian school of idealist, is his theory on the relationship between four origins of cardinal virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, knowledge) and seven feelings of human emotion (pleasure, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, desire) (hereinafter referred to as "four-seven" theory), in which, Li and Qi, Xing and Qing (similarly means natural instinct and sentiment) and other related categories reflect Toegye's understanding and explanation on the beauty's noumenon and phenomenon. In his opinions, Li is the origin and rule of the world and morality. Such meanings directly decide his aesthetic thought, Li is the origin of all the beautiful, rule of aesthetic phenomenon, standard of personality, therefore, Toegye's aesthetics is full of characters of morality. The "four-seven" theory founded a base for his view on the purpose and exerting methods of Le (similarly means cheerfulness). The Le, in a sense, is a substituting name of the beautiful. It is a bridge towards the goodness, also an aesthetical realm of life. Toegye's aesthetics emphasizes on personal experience for realizing the Li, reaching the realm of the Le and leading to the goodness.Toegye's aesthetic thought is concretely embodied from his views on the nature, literature, personality, choice to resign or accept official ranking and titular honors that is closely related to scholar's personality.As for the nature, in his opinions, the way to be in organic whole with the world is to pursue for the Li, to cultivate personal morality in compliance with the Li. Though being oriented into dominant, the human beings have no rights to rule the nature, but shall be in harmony with the nature. It's equal between the nature and human beings, and the nature shares spirituality with the human beings. His aesthetic objects consist of three parts: every thing in the world like glede and fish, state presented by it and the Li carried in it. Toegye believed that humans' Le, in the sense of nature, is from the integrity between the nature and human beings, so he emphasized the consistency between the nature's inbeing and humans' soul. Since the Li is carried everywhere in the world and plays a role of noumenon, such consistency lies on humans' experiencing the Li borne in the nature.His view of the world in noumenon and phenomenon directly influences his though of literature, that's to say, literature carries the Li and comprises it as essence. The Li is its core and noumenon, and literature is its application and phenomenon, consequently, the process of being engaged in literature is for experiencing the Li. On one hand, he regarded literature as minor technique, on the other hand, he believed that a person might improve his morality through literature, that's to say, literature itself is not so important, but shall not be ignored. His poetics adopts the traditional Confucian thought, emphasizes to take poetries' role of social moralizing into full play, attaches much importance to the consistency between moral quality and literary quality.Confucians lay particular stress on personality improving to realize ideal personality and reach an ideal life realm. Based on the Li, Toegye took the constant virtues advocated by Confucians as guide, in daily exertion to seek for the Li. It's easy for the people's will to be impacted and lured by materials and tend to evil and selfish, therefore, to pursue for the Li and perish evil desire is very important in personality cultivation. As an important category in his theory of personality cultivation, the Jing (similarly means self-restrain in a quiet manner) is fundamental for moral cultivation, important for sage learn and embodied in every respect of daily exertion, shall always be kept in mind and carried out in daily life. Accordingly, Toegye attached much importance to daily exertion, lain particular stress on applying true cognition to daily exertion, which is an important development of the Confucianism. Generally, his thought of personality cultivation is rooted on the Jing and daily exertion. In Toeyge's opinions, the value of life lies not only in morality. In daily life, he pursued for an aesthetic life realm like free, easy, generous and unselfish. The mind of aesthetic subject links to aesthetic object, the mind and scene converge together for the correspondence between the nature and man. Only in this way, can aesthetic activity occur. As for moral realm, the process of pursuing for sage's bearing is in fact an aesthetic activity. In aesthetic consciousness, there is no contradiction between the Li and the world, it's required to master the being of humans from the view of cosmos. As for official ranking and titular honors, Toegye persisted in resigning for complying with righteousness, which is closely related to his thought of personality. His aesthetic thought is reflected in his solution to the difficult choice to resign or accept official ranking and titular honors, and embodied all along in his exertion of life.Toegye himself fell in a problem of contradiction such as suffering and cheerfulness, resigning or accepting. His suffering is a mental expression for concerning national affairs and effect of sage learn, his cheerfulness, modernly equal to the beautiful, is a bridge towards the goodness, and his choice to resign or accept official ranking and titular honors was completed along with his suffering and cheerfulness. With reference to aesthetic thought, the contradiction was relieved even finally solved to realize a perfect life and enter a perfect life realm in the eyes of Confucians.