The life and death of Confucianism in Korea

 

On a recent trip to Korea, I was afforded one of the great honors of my life when I was asked to visit with the head of the only nationwide Confucian organization to discuss my views on how to “save” Confucianism.

The meeting was held at the headquarters located at the Sungkyungwan, next to the modern Sungkyungwan University in Seoul.

I am constantly surprised at the comments on my YouTube broadcasts about Confucianism. I “grew up” in Korea, and in Korean Studies really, with great respect for Confucianism. It was the heart of the history and the cultural behavior that I was studying. And I learned to respect Confucianism, and though an active Christian, I consider myself a Confucian as well.

So, to read comments of all kinds criticizing Confucianism from many different angles is quite shocking to my system. Commonly seen comments include “Confucianism was the downfall of our country,” and “traditional society suppressed women’s activities because of Confucianism,” and “Confucian hierarchy is anti-democratic and counter productive.” Recently I have written in this space about Kakao requiring employees to take on American names for use in the office. This, it seems is a way to break down the “Confucian” hierarchies that inhibit creativity in the office.

Perhaps the paragon of criticism of Confucianism is a book written several years ago with the title “Confucianism Needs to Die so That the Nation Can Live.”

Well, I’m a voice on the other side of the issue. I’m interested in finding ways that Confucianism can live. And I have allies, but some of them need to re-arm for battle, because if they wish to argue for the old hierarchies, including male dominance, they are going to lose and lose big. And they will lose my support.

The way for Confucianism to survive, and indeed revive, is to strip it of its social mistakes, the hierarchies, male dominance, and thus return to regarding Confucianism primarily the way Confucius taught, as ideology. Even as religion.

There is always a great rush to point out that Confucianism is not a religion, whenever the topic comes up. But Confucianism’s strength is in its philosophy and teachings. It’s not necessary to run away from the idea of being a religion because when we look at religions around the world, indeed, in “World Religions” classes and textbooks at universities, Confucianism is one of the “world’s five great religions”. Five, or six, or seven — different textbooks and different classes take different approaches. But Confucianism is always there! — as a religion.

There are all kinds of religions. One does not need to worship on Sunday, to have a religion. In fact, one need not worship on any day to have a religion. There are “this worldly” religions, and “other worldly” religions. I think the pro-Confucianists out that are making a mistake to run away from being a “religion”. I think they would be strong to own up to it — to say, Confucianism is a religion. It is a religion and a philosophy and a set of teachings to make people better and to help people treat each other in better ways. It is a religion without a god, but with ethics and values and teachings of how to respect and appreciate one another.

Confucianism will survive when it returns to its core teachings and abandons all the social practice that it has accumulated. The teachings — filial piety, loyalty are center, and benevolence, justice, politeness, knowledge. Indeed, it is the Confucian desire for knowledge that has made Korea great, historically and recently. The seonbi used to study to pass the exams, and today, the students study to pass the exams.

And the Confucian virtues espoused in the first lines of the Analects — first, there is no greater pleasure than to study, and second, what is more enjoyable than treating a guest who has come from afar. And the third line in that first paragraph, to not be disappointed when you are not recognized for what you have done. These are principles that have guided Korean values in the past, and I hope they will in the future.

The problem is all the cultural accretions over the years, mostly the male dominance and the patrilineal orientation of the family. We see this in the genealogy — it is a table showing how men are related to men through men. The women are barely recognized, in spite of being half the population and the means by which more men are born!

Korean Confucianism from earliest times (sixth century) to the late 17th century existed in a society that was not male dominated. Women had equal inheritance rights, owned property, hosted ancestry ceremonies in turn with their brothers, and in all ways but politics, had an equal share of social and economic activity.

So, if Korea once had a Confucian society that was not male dominated, it can do it again.

Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is a professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah.