Korean Philosophy Essentials

This course will give you the cultural and historical background to begin your journey into Korean philosophy, and there is no prerequisite knowledge on philosophy required. Anybody who either has an interest in Korean culture, maybe through K-Dramas or K-pop, or an interest in philosophy from a cross-cultural perspective, are all welcome. Despite the growing interest in Korean culture, there are few courses which explore the fascinating topic of Korean philosophy. On this course, you’ll be introduced to concepts in Korean philosophy through an exploration of the Korean language, culture and perspective. The Korean cultural, social, and political environment has informed and transformed the intellectual assets of China and the West. You’ll explore the creative tensions that Koreans have experienced, and broaden your worldview as you discover a new philosophical approach.

This course will give you an insight into the formative years of “Korean” culture and thought and uncover together who were the earliest people we could describe as being “Korean.” Korea is unique, but not of a single origin. Through this course, you will rediscover “Korea” today as a unique linguistic-cultural continuum. And from this, you may gain a deeper understanding of yourself by acknowledging the various factors that have influenced you to form your mature identity.

In the “Exploration to Korean Philosophy” series, we will delve deeper into the subject matter than what was previously addressed in the courses “Introduction to Korean Philosophy and Culture (IKPC)” and “In Search for the Origins of Korean Philosophy (SOKP)." In EKP1, titled "Modernity and the Emergence of 'Korean' Philosophy," we explore how the Korean intellectual tradition encountered a pivotal moment of reinterpretation as it embraced the discipline of "philosophy," often seen as the apex of modern European intellectual history. Looking at examples of Concept Clusters, we can see that Korean philosophy is deeply rooted in the Korean language and has formed a philosophical perspective that is different not only from the West but also from neighboring countries such as China and Japan. In this course, we also dealt with the early Korean Neo-Confucianism's gaze on “cheon”, referring to “heaven” as an example that clearly demonstrates the characteristics of Korean philosophy before it was given the name “philosophy.” Even before and after the advent of Neo-Confucianism, the search for ultimate existence – expressed in various terms – was constantly pursued. The gaze on “heaven” is an important feature of Korean philosophy.