기질 변화론의 교육적 이해

The Educational implications of Zhu Xi s theory of “Transforming the Temperament”

The purpose of this research is to discuss the possibility of education through transformation of one’s temperament(‘qizhi’). Through transforming his or her specific temperament, one can turn into a positive form the negatively manifesting temperament to his or her innate negative dispositions. The idea of transforming one’s temperament presupposes the plasticity—rather than the deterministic nature--of his or her temperament. From this, it follows that transfomation of innate temperament, acquired private desire, and tendency the source of the will through studying is possible. That is, the transformation of one’s temperament is a process of recovery his or her original good nature by transforming the negatively manifesting temperament. Since one’s temperament is related with his or her cognition and practice, one needs to transform bad temperament in order to discern the defining patterns of things ( li ), that is, to act according to knowledge of the defining patters. Likewise, transformation of temperament establishes as the aim of education of Neo-Confucianism. The transformation of temperament can be achieved through the process of ‘Zhixingbingjin’ in which one pursues knowing the defining patters of things and acting accordingly at the same time because he or she realizes that the two— the knowing and acting—are actually of one and the same dimension.