Korean Philosophy and Culture : An Introduction to a Living Tradition

This open access book is an essential companion for anyone looking to understand Korean philosophy from a Korean perspective.

So Jeong Park begins by tracing the formation of the cultural identity called Korea across history. She covers how oral and literary language became the core element of this identity, explaining how religions introduced from outside transformed into something Korean and strengthened internal solidarity.

By highlighting the fusion of multiple identities, we see the impact Indian and Chinese traditions had upon Korea through the arrival of Buddhism and Confucianism. We travel through issues of human morality, the relationship between everyday feelings and moral emotions, the distinction between sages and ordinary people, the species differences between humans and animals, and human nature in the state with no interference.

Park explores “becoming a good person", a core goal that runs through Korean philosophy, and the concepts central to contemporary Korean aesthetic thought including “Uri,” “Maum” and “Heung”.

By fleshing out the uniqueness of “Korean” ways of thinking, this is the first book to answer the question of what is Korean in Korean philosophy. It is a rare analysis of Korean philosophical thinking that reveals how it permeates and shapes the language and culture. Here is a chance to delve into, encounter, and explore the intricacies associated with this powerful living tradition.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Center of K-Academic Expansion Project at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea.