This Open Access book offers the first comprehensive analysis of Korean Neo-Confucian theories of mind and moral cultivation during the Joseon dynasty. Exploring major debatesthe Four-Seven Debate, the Horak Debate, and the Simseol Debatethis book examines how leading thinkers such as Yi Hwang (Toegye), Yi I (Yulgok), Han Wonjin, Yi Gan, Jeong Yagyong (Dasan), and Yi Hangno conceptualized the moral mind as an affective-cognitive-moral complex. Bongrae Seok situates these discussions within the broader Neo-Confucian metaphysical framework of i (principle) and gi (material force), while highlighting their distinctive Korean orientation toward moral psychology and self-cultivation. Combining historical depth with philosophical rigor, the book addresses theoretical and practical implications for Confucian ethics and comparative philosophy, offering insights into virtue, mindfulness, moral cognition, and moral autonomy. Ideal for scholars and students of Korean philosophy, East Asian thought, and comparative moral psychology, this volume advances global dialogues on mind, morality, and moral practice.

This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access Explains Korean Neo-Confucian mind theories through major Joseon debates Bridges moral psychology and Confucian self-cultivation for comparative study Offers practical insights into virtue ethics and mindfulness in Korean thought

Autorentext

Bongrae Seok is Professor of Philosophy at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. His recent books include Naturalism, Human Flourishing, and Asian Philosophy: Flanagan and Beyond (2020), Moral Psychology of Confucian Shame: Shame of Shamelessness (2016), and Embodied Moral Psychology and Confucian Philosophy (2013).

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction: Mind and Moral Cultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism.- Chapter 2: Toegye and Yulgok on the Nature of Mind and Mind Cultivation.- Chapter 3: Seongho Yi Ik and the Moral Mind.- Chapter 4. The Horak Debate and the Moral Mind: Han Wonjin's and Yi Gan's Neo-Confucian Theories of Mind (Sim) and Nature (Seong).- Chapter 5: Dasan Jeong Yagyong's Philosophy of Mind Cultivation and his Comparative Interpretation of Toegye's and Yulgok's Moral Philosophies.- Chapter 6: The Simseol Debate: The Nature of the Moral Mind and Mind Cultivation.- Chapter 7. Conclusion: Moral Psychology and Mind Cultivation in Korean Neo-Confucianism.