• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.59
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• pp.395-423
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• 2018

Since the middle of the 19th century, East Asia, especially Korea, was oppressed externally by the imperialism of Japan and others while internally long-lasting political convention like in-law government was driving the country into troubles at home and abroad. Witnessing such a situation and building up scholarly capability through reading over nearly all spheres, a Confucian philosopher, Ch'oe Han-gi (崔漢綺, 1803-1877), philosophized about the clue to the solution of such a choking phenomenon. Ch'oe believed that there was movement, ki (matter, material force, energy) of revolving transformation inherent in all things, people, or objects. Grasping even the principle and order of existence inherent in things from the viewpoint of ki, he tried to change the traditional theory on the law of existence of things that there existed an ontological reason lacking in motility, which was more dominant than anything existing in the universe and which ruled over the world. From this, he elucidated that the Way, an identity that rules over all affairs and things, was not simply one but diverse. This means, on one hand, that he tentatively accepted the relativity of things. On the other hand, he also taught us "oneness in all things" in which all including human beings exist in close connection to each other transcending the relativity or "agreement" in which they exist in harmony as one and "unity" in which they are united into one.

• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.41
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• pp.247-270
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• 2014

Multiculturalism may be deeply connected with the diversities of cultures and enlightenment discussed in the context that we live together with the specification of cultures derived from any spatial conditions overtly and covertly. People live on their own customs compatible with their space and the time, and they make their boundaries of races, nations, and national memories. In such a way each of them treats each other exclusively and is inclined not to recognize being of the others. Also people are apt to recognize the others unessentially and overlook the others's value and way of life. As a result they might destroy the foundation of symbiotic livings conditions on their own. On the other hand they pretend to search for the cultural diversities of the others and include them under their own universalities, resulting in conflicts. Hence it is required that we should make an efforts to prepare the fields for living together through getting over the problem of the recognition of matters and affairs before us. From the above-told critical mind this thesis seeks the multicultural relativities and more arrives at the relationalities discussed by East-Asiatic philosophers of Chuang Tzu and Ch'oe Han-gi. Especially by gazing at the idea of the interconnectedness which means activities, changeabilities and mobilities, appeared on the idea of Ch'oe Han-Gi's revolving transformation, it is stressed that the communications of the local with each other in the various aspects of, e.g. materials, regions and cultures should be achieved.