우리는 좌파정권 10년 동안에 내부대립을 격화시킴으로써 국론이 분열되고 발전의 원동력이 상실되는 위기를 맞았었다. 이것은 다른 데에도 원인이 있지만 집권 좌파측이 관념상의 정의와 명분에 지나치게 집착하여 이론과 현실을 혼동했던데 가장 큰 원인이 있었다. 즉, 그들은 자본가와 노동자, 부유층과 빈곤층 간의 계급대립의 관념에 젖어 국민을 하나의 유기적 전체로 보지 못했고 민족통일, 자주독립, 친일청산, 균형발전 등의 용어가 지니는 언어의 감성적 호소력 자체에 붙잡혀 이론과 현실을 구분하지 못하였던 것이다. 이 점은 16 세기 이래 조선시대 지배층이었던 중앙과 지방의 광범한 사족층도 마찬가지였다. 이들은 명나라가 기울고 청이 욱일승천하는 대세임을 눈앞의 현실로 보고서도 중국만이 문화의 중심지고 나머지는 변방국가로서 모두 야만족이라는 이른바 화이관(華夷觀)에 젖어 당면한 위기를 국가보전의 위기로보다 문화보전의 위기로 보았다. 즉, 청나라 중심의 국제질서에 편입되는 것은 곧 국민전체가 야만족으로 전락하는 것이므로 나라가 망하고 국민전체가 죽는 한이 있더라도 그들과의 화친을 거부하겠다는 자세였다. 그리하여 청의 분노를 초래하여 국민전체로 하여금 병자호란의 막심한 치욕을 보게 하였다. 이들은 과거의 이러한 경험에도 불구하고 19 세기 초 산업자본주의를 이룩한 서구외세가 원료공급처와 상품판매처를 찾아 우리나라의 문호개방을 요구해온 시점에 와서도 동일한 자세를 보인다. 즉, 명나라가 망한 지금 오로지 조선만이 소중화(小中華)로서 유일한 문화적 정통성을 계승하였다고 자부하고 서양외세를 야만이요 금수로 단정하였다. 그리하여 그들의 발전된 물질기술을 눈 앞에 보고서도 이를 의도적으로 외면하고 이들과 교통하여 짐승으로 되느니 차라리 나라가 망하는 한이 있더라도 이 도(道)와 더불어 죽겠다는 관념지상주의적 자세를 보였다. 본 논문에서는 구한말 우리가 사상과 관념에 얽매여 현실과 실용을 외면함으로써 이후 우리자신의 운명에 있어 주도권을 상실하게 된 것이 당시의 지배층인 중앙과 지방의 광범한 사족층의 성리학적 사고에 그 원인이 있다고 보고, 이러한 관점에서 그들의 사상의 핵심적 특징들을 당시의 대표적 사상가였던 이항로와 그 제자 최익현의 사상을 통해 살펴보고자 한다.

During the two successive left governments(Kim, dae joong and Roh, mu hyun) have passed, We nearly fell into the crisis of losing the rate and the motive power of economic growth. It was due to the antagonism between classes which originated in the two governments' naive confusion between theory and practice. They stuck to out-of- dated Marxism and wanted to practice it in the 21th century. They were too much impressed by the words themselves' appeal, ‘independence’, ‘national unification’, ‘equality’, ‘balanced regional development’, etc and mistook words for reality. This is also true to the governing class of Chosun dynasty during the two national crises. In the first, during the first 17 century, they stuck to 'MYUNG,(明) empire which was on the road of downfall in disfavor of 'CHUNG'(靑) which was newly rising from the boundary of China while they knew full well that the latter would be victorious over the former in the end. This seemingly foolish attitude of them came from their peculiar new Confucian thoughts and its world view. According to it, the earth is even. Its center is occupied by China which has the highest culture, and its around is occupied by the small countries which have low cultures and are barbarous. Facing the crisis of national downfall, the preservation of the civilization took precedence over that of nation for the governing class of Chosun dynasty for fear that they should be degraded into barbarians. As the result of this dogmatic attitude which disregarded real power situation, Chosun dynasty went nearly to its downfall and was subject to national disgrace in the face of the furious 'CHUNG' emperor who defeated 'MYUNG, in the end and invaded into Chosun. The same had happened in the latest Chosun dynasty with the same governing class of Confucian thoughts during the middle and latest 19 century. In face of the western powers which had achieved scientific and industrial development, and required the opening of trade towards Chosun, they refused the opening of trade stubbornly for fear that they should be contaminated by foreign barbarous civilization while they knew full well that their country could be faced with crisis of to be or not to be for this attitude of them. This all came from their peculiar world view(even world) and their persistent way of thought which confused between theory and practice, and gave precedence to the former over the latter.

During the two successive left governments(Kim, dae joong and Roh, mu hyun) have passed, We nearly fell into the crisis of losing the rate and the motive power of economic growth. It was due to the antagonism between classes which originated in the two governments' naive confusion between theory and practice. They stuck to out-of- dated Marxism and wanted to practice it in the 21th century. They were too much impressed by the words themselves' appeal, ‘independence’, ‘national unification’, ‘equality’, ‘balanced regional development’, etc and mistook words for reality. This is also true to the governing class of Chosun dynasty during the two national crises. In the first, during the first 17 century, they stuck to 'MYUNG,(明) empire which was on the road of downfall in disfavor of 'CHUNG'(靑) which was newly rising from the boundary of China while they knew full well that the latter would be victorious over the former in the end. This seemingly foolish attitude of them came from their peculiar new Confucian thoughts and its world view. According to it, the earth is even. Its center is occupied by China which has the highest culture, and its around is occupied by the small countries which have low cultures and are barbarous. Facing the crisis of national downfall, the preservation of the civilization took precedence over that of nation for the governing class of Chosun dynasty for fear that they should be degraded into barbarians. As the result of this dogmatic attitude which disregarded real power situation, Chosun dynasty went nearly to its downfall and was subject to national disgrace in the face of the furious 'CHUNG' emperor who defeated 'MYUNG, in the end and invaded into Chosun. The same had happened in the latest Chosun dynasty with the same governing class of Confucian thoughts during the middle and latest 19 century. In face of the western powers which had achieved scientific and industrial development, and required the opening of trade towards Chosun, they refused the opening of trade stubbornly for fear that they should be contaminated by foreign barbarous civilization while they knew full well that their country could be faced with crisis of to be or not to be for this attitude of them. This all came from their peculiar world view(even world) and their persistent way of thought which confused between theory and practice, and gave precedence to the former over the latter.

the latest Chosun dynasty, 'Wijeong chucksapa', new Confucian thought, even world, metaphysical way of thoughts.