Moral and Religious Thought of Yi Hwang (Toegye)

Edward Y. J. Chung is Asian Studies Director and Professor of Religious Studies at UPEI, Canada. He is the author of The Great Synthesis of Wang Yangming Neo-Confucianism in Korea (2020), A Korean Confucian Way of Life and Thought: The Chasnŏngnok by Yi Hwang (T’oegye) (2016), and Korean Confucianism: Tradition and Modernity (2015).

• 1. Introduction: Toegye’s Life and Scholarship.- 2. True Learning.- 3. A Philosophy of Principle: Heaven’s Principle as the Transcendent.- 4. The Four-Seven Debate on Emotions: Moral-Spiritual Meaning and Implication.- 5. Sagehood and Confucian Spirituality.- 6. Self-reflection, Reverence (Gyeong), and Mind Cultivation (Simhak).- 7. Toegye’s Love and Spirituality of Nature: Toward a Modern Confucian Ecology.- 8. Transcend the Problem of Evil: A Neo-Confucian and Comparative Interpretation.- 9. Self-transcendence as the Ultimate Reality: A Neo-Confucian and Interreligious Dialogue.- 10. Conclusion: The Modern Relevance and Significance of Toegye’s Thought.