道德情感에 기초한 儒敎의 理想社會觀

The ideal world of Confucianism is a kind of ‘moral community’ where its members control their desires in an appropriate way according to their innate moral emotions, following public order autonomically and realizing the common good. It is also a kind of ‘life-community’ where not just humans but also all life between heaven and earth is able to give full bloom to their nature and reach the cosmic harmony. The main mechanism to obtain this world is the universal moral emotions of humanity; in other words, ‘human minds loving goodness and hating badness’ and ‘the mind that cannot bear to see the life die.’ Thus, the ruler should set a good example by restraining his excessive desire and should help people cultivate their innate moral emotions, while people thus educated can take on the ability and duty to build the moral ideal world. Confucian ideal world is all at once ‘moral community,’ ‘life-community,’ and ‘educational community.’ The ideal politics of Confucianism can be called ‘non-action policy’ in that it considers the autonomy of its members as an essential means. But the confucian non-action based on moral mechanisms such as ‘virtue and ritual propriety’ is distinguished from Taoist political thought, which criticizes moral regulations as a whole. Moreover, Confucian theories clash with those of the Legalists in that Confucianism oppose such coercive measures as strict prohibition and punishment. Although today it would seem to be a drawback that the moral emotions of the people are actuated only by their ruler and social superiors, Confucian theory of ideal society is full of suggestions for complementing the modern rule of law and standing against political violences and environmental destruction, and then groping toward an alternative idea toward which we should aspire.