Yi Ik
1681–1763 · Korean Neo-Confucian scholar and early Silhak thinker
Yi Ik (1681-1763), known by his scholarly name Sŏngho, was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar and one of the early figures of Silhak, or "practical learning," during the Joseon dynasty. His significance lies in proposing reforms to Korean society from within the Confucian tradition itself.
He came from a yangban family of the Yeoju Yi clan. Like most men of his standing, he studied for the gwageo civil service examination in pursuit of an official post, but failed his first attempt in 1705. Shortly afterward, his elder brother, Yi Jam, was beaten to death during the Lady Jang incident, and Yi lost interest in government service. He turned instead to study and writing.
His most substantial work, Sŏngho sasŏl, covers government, economy, and family life, and makes detailed proposals for reordering each part of Joseon society. He followed the line of thought associated with Yu Hyeong-won. In Gwakurok, his most famous work, he set out the basic principles of reform. He attracted many disciples, and Silhak gradually grew into the dominant school of thought of the dynasty.
He was born in Ansan, where a monument to him was erected in 1967, next to a museum devoted to his life and work. His influence carried into later Korean reformist thought.
Key ideas
- Comprehensive social reform: he proposed reordering government, the economy, and family life according to principles of justice and usefulness.
- Practical Confucianism: he understood learning as a tool for improving everyday life, not only as bookish erudition.
- Concern for the underprivileged: his thought centers on easing the plight of those who suffer most from the inequalities of the social order.
- Critical continuity: he inherited the line of Yu Hyeong-won and developed it into concrete proposals for change.
Curiosities
A failed first attempt
He failed the gwageo examination in 1705, his first attempt, and shortly afterward lost his elder brother in the Lady Jang incident.
A monument in his birthplace
In 1967 a monument to him was erected in Ansan, his birthplace, next to a museum dedicated to his life and work.
Teachers and influences
Influenced
- Jeong Yak-yong 1762–1836
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.