성재(省齋) 정재기(鄭在虁)의 학문과 가문 의식

초록

This paper is the first research to examine the academic scholarship and thought of Seongjae Jeong Jae-gi(鄭在虁, 1857-1919) from the perspective of 'logic of situation and response,' based on the unpublished manuscript Seongjae-jip(省齋集). Seongjae lived during an unprecedented period of upheaval from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, when Joseon experienced foreign invasion, modernization attempts, and colonial domination. As the 13th-generation descendant of Hangang Jeong Gu(寒岡 鄭逑), he responded to the crisis of his times based on traditional Neo-Confucianism and family consciousness. His life spanned three periods: Joseon's decline and foreign invasion, modernization attempts and internal changes, and Japanese invasion with national resistance. He holds special significance as the first and only martyr who participated in the Paris Peace Conference petition movement. Seongjae's scholarship is characterized by four features: succession of Hangang learning, emphasis on mind-learning(心學), establishment of classical prose style centered on the Book of Documents(書經), and practicality based on the theory of moral principles(義理論). He made the mind-learning tradition centered on his ancestor Hangang's Simgyeong-balhwi(心經發揮) his family's academic tradition, and achieved the stylistic characteristics of ancient prose through his mastery of the Book of Documents. His scholarship went beyond mere theoretical inquiry to demonstrate practical orientation combining learning for self-cultivation(爲己之學) with the theory of moral principles. This was manifested in his participation in the 1905 memorial opposing the Eulsa Treaty, signing the Paris petition, and efforts to resolve the Hanryeo epitaph controversy. He also contributed to expanding Hangang learning and organizing the scholarly lineage through editing the Record of Master Hangang's Disciples and publishing the Record of Master Hangang's Journey to Bongsan. Seongjae's perception of reality can be summarized as a defending orthodoxy and rejecting heterodoxy(衛正斥邪) attitude, which is closely connected to his family consciousness. He defined his contemporary era as a time when false doctrines prevailed and moral principles disappeared, advocating for reality reconstruction based on Neo-Confucian worldview and strong rejection of Western new learning. Based on this ideological foundation, his martyrdom is sometimes evaluated as the embodiment of 'sacrificing life to achieve benevolence'(殺身成仁), realizing national righteousness and moral scholarly conviction beyond personal sacrifice. Seongjae's life and scholarship demonstrate the image of a 'transitional intellectual' who simultaneously pursued the modern succession of traditional Confucianism and the practice of national independence will, holding important significance for research in Korean Confucian history and intellectual history.

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