이 글은 동서양의 인간관과 자연관의 관계를 고찰함으로써 퇴계 이황 사상의 현대적 의의를 밝혀보려는 것이다. 기본적으로 퇴계의 사상은 그의 세계관이 일원론적이라는 점에서 현대적이라고 말할 수 있다. 데카르트의 코기토 이래, 서구 사상은 주체와 객체, 정신과 물질, 인간과 자연이 분리됨으로써 이원론적 인식론에 대한 결정적인 근거를 제공하게 되었다. 그러나 20세기의 전환기에 F.H. 브래들리나 니체 그리고 베르그송을 비롯한 많은 철학자들은 세계를 단편화하는 이원론적 인식론에 반기를 들고 세계를 하나로 통합하는 일원론적 인식론을 주장하였다. 이원론적 인식론이 가정한 부정적 측면에 근거한 위기의식의 발로인 일원론적 세계관은 20세기 문학과 철학의 현대적 특징을 잘 보여준다. 서양의 인식론의 변화를 고려해볼 때, 유기체론에 근거한 일원론적 인식론에 뿌리를 둔 퇴계의 사상 역시 현대적이라고 할 수 있다. 이 글은 특히 퇴계의 매화시를 토대로 퇴계의 현대성을 밝혀볼 것이다. 이를 위해 엘리엇이 일원론적 사유를 밝히기 위해 사용한 핵심 용어인 ‘반객체’의 관점을 소개하고, 이를 근거로 주체와 객체가, 정신과 물질이, 그리고 인간과 자연이 하나가 되는 과정을 살펴볼 것이다. 이러한 시도는 동양사상이 현대 서양사상의 사유의 뿌리가 된다는 것을 드러냄과 동시에 16세기의 퇴계의 관점이 시공을 초월하여 세계적인 현대성을 지니고 있음을 동시에 밝히게 될 것이다. 차제에 동서양의 사상의 비교를 통한 퇴계 문학의 특징을 밝히는 일이 퇴계 문학의 세계화를 위한 의미 있는 시도가 될 것으로 기대한다.

This paper aims at revealing the modern significance of the ideas of T'oegye(Yi Hwang) by investigating the relationship between man and nature in the East and the West. T'oegye's ideas can be called modern in that his views of the world are monistic. Since Descartes' cogito, the ideas of the West has offered the definite foundation for the dualistic epistemology by dividing the subject and the object, mind and matter, and man and nature. However, at the turn of the 20th century, some philosophers like F. H. Bradley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson refuted the dualistic epistemology which divides the world into fragments, while maintaining the monistic epistemology which unifies the world as a whole. This monistic view of the world, derived from the consciousness of crisis on the negative aspects caused by the dualistic epistemology, can be called important modern characteristics of literature and philosophy as well in the 20th century. Considering this change from the dualistic to the monistic epistemology of the West, the ideas of T'oegye which are deeply rooted in the monistic epistemology based on the organicism can also be defined as modern. This paper aims to prove the modernity of T'oegye in special reference to his Maehwa(梅花) poetry by applying the term 'half-object', a viewpoint through which the subject is identified with the object, mind with matter, and man with nature. This is an attempt to reveal that Eastern ideas are the original roots of the thought at which modern West aims. At the same time, it also shows that the viewpoint of T'oegye of the 16th century has the global modernity beyond time and space. At this juncture, the attempt to investigate the characteristics of T'oegye's world and literature as well through the comparison of the ideas of the East and the West is expected to be a significant one for the globalization of T'oegye's literature.

This paper aims at revealing the modern significance of the ideas of T'oegye(Yi Hwang) by investigating the relationship between man and nature in the East and the West. T'oegye's ideas can be called modern in that his views of the world are monistic. Since Descartes' cogito, the ideas of the West has offered the definite foundation for the dualistic epistemology by dividing the subject and the object, mind and matter, and man and nature. However, at the turn of the 20th century, some philosophers like F. H. Bradley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Henri Bergson refuted the dualistic epistemology which divides the world into fragments, while maintaining the monistic epistemology which unifies the world as a whole. This monistic view of the world, derived from the consciousness of crisis on the negative aspects caused by the dualistic epistemology, can be called important modern characteristics of literature and philosophy as well in the 20th century. Considering this change from the dualistic to the monistic epistemology of the West, the ideas of T'oegye which are deeply rooted in the monistic epistemology based on the organicism can also be defined as modern. This paper aims to prove the modernity of T'oegye in special reference to his Maehwa(梅花) poetry by applying the term 'half-object', a viewpoint through which the subject is identified with the object, mind with matter, and man with nature. This is an attempt to reveal that Eastern ideas are the original roots of the thought at which modern West aims. At the same time, it also shows that the viewpoint of T'oegye of the 16th century has the global modernity beyond time and space. At this juncture, the attempt to investigate the characteristics of T'oegye's world and literature as well through the comparison of the ideas of the East and the West is expected to be a significant one for the globalization of T'oegye's literature.

T’oegye, monistic, dualistic, Maehwa(梅花) poetry, modernity, half-object