이병헌(李炳憲)의 천 관념(天觀念) 연구: 천학(天學)을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper examines the idea of Yi Byeongheon(李炳憲, 1870-1940)s idea of the Heaven, which appears in his Cheon-hak(天學, Learning of the Heaven). While previous neo-Confucian(性理學) idea of the Heaven was being shaken by the introduction and spread of modern Western astronomy, Yi Byeongheon criticized the Li-qi theory (理氣論) of neo-Confucian metaphysics on the basis of modern astronomy and suggested his own unique idea of the Heaven which emphasized the transcendency and sovereignty of the Heaven. By accepting the knowledge of modern astronomy such as the terrestrial globe, the heliocentrism and the planetary movement, and by assuming the universe independent from the qi(氣) of the Yin-Yang Five Elements(陰陽五行), he denied both previous cosmology that insisted hemispheric sky and rectangular earth and geocentrism and the neo-Confucian idea of the Unity of Heaven and Human(天人合一論). However, he still recognized the Heaven as the source of religious faith in Confucianism. Recognizing the Heaven as the Heavenly Emperor(上帝) presiding over all things of the universe and by defining its attributes as Deity(神), he emphasized the transcendency and sovereignty of the Heaven. Such a thought was a unique idea that recognized both the Western astronomy and the religious aspect of Confucianism as complementary, and synthesized both. And this came from the consciousness of the problem to establish the world-view base in seeking the restoration of Confucianism as the original form of Confucius. Such an idea of Yi Byeongheon can evaluate its originality as an example of attempting to solve the problem by strengthening the transcendency and sovereignty of the Heaven instead of responding to the challenge of modern science on the previous neo-Confucian worldview.