Remembering Shin Eon-jik: A Scholar Bridging East and West

Max Weber, the renowned sociologist, often comes to mind when discussing Chwijoo Shin Eon-jik (1884-1961), a scholar who lived through Korea's tumultuous transition from the late Joseon Dynasty into the colonial period and beyond. Born in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk Province, Shin was the son of Shin Tae-un, who led an 의병 (righteous army) movement after the assassination of Queen Min. He was also a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Jeongsan Kim Dong-jin.

Shin Eon-jik's intellectual journey took a significant turn around 1906 when he encountered new academic texts, particularly becoming engrossed in Western natural sciences. Reading Liang Qichao's 'Yinbing Shi Quan Ji' (The Complete Works of the Yinbing Studio) reportedly gave him a "shock that opened his heart and broadened his horizons." Despite familial obligations and his mother's illness, which kept him in Bonghwa, he self-studied foreign languages like Japanese and English, delving into Western history, geography, astronomy, philosophy, and mathematics.

Shin possessed a remarkable passion for writing, leaving behind 17 distinct works comprising 63 volumes, along with other writings, by the age of 73. About half of his major works were compiled by his descendants into 'Chwijoo Jeonseo' (The Complete Works of Chwijoo) and published in 1988. This article aims to revive the legacy of this late Joseon scholar who confronted the world in what must have felt like a barren wilderness.

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Reading Liang Qichao's 'Yinbing Shi Quan Ji' reportedly gave him a "shock that opened his heart and broadened his horizons."

Firstly, his perception and faith in Confucianism were foundational. He established Confucianism as the bedrock of his scholarship through deep study and evidential research. He pursued 'Gu-in Myeong-ri' (seeking benevolence and understanding principle) throughout his life. 'Gu-in' involved extending love to all beings with compassion and aiming for the equality of all people, while 'Myeong-ri' meant integrating with the great universe based on natural science, making it one's own body. Even as the head of Nokdong Seowon in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, in 1920, he dedicated himself to reviving Confucianism, showing a keen interest in translating Confucian classics into foreign languages and exploring diverse religions like Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. His view of Confucianism was thus exceptionally open and flexible, aiming for a universal humanism where "all teachings that make people human are Confucianism."

Secondly, his approach to Western scholarship was one of subjective reception and application. He famously stated, "Every day I went to the library and read books from all nations, and only then did I realize that the world is like Heo Dae-in and knowledge is like Heo Jin. What we saw in the past was merely a fruit fly or a mud worm. ... We must devise a plan to break down the doors and clarify Confucius's ideal of 'Datong' (great unity), viewing the East and West equally, and reconciling old and new scholarship."

He encouraged his students to study not only Western science and mathematics but also politics, economics, geography, and religion. His attitude towards Western learning is evident in his interest in environmental issues. Boldly, he proposed the 'Bae-ya Chaek' (Night-Repelling Plan), suggesting the use of optical instruments on a global scale to transmit sunlight from day zones to night zones, thereby dispelling darkness. This plan involved using large mirrors from the Iberian Peninsula through Siberia to the Korean Peninsula to provide nighttime illumination. Remarkably, he even considered the potential pollution problems that might arise from such a scheme. While scientifically flawed, it was an astonishing proposal from a Confucian scholar in Bonghwa. Perhaps his inspiration for utilizing solar power could be inherited today, actively using the sun as an energy source.

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Every day I went to the library and read books from all nations, and only then did I realize that the world is like Heo Dae-in and knowledge is like Heo Jin. What we saw in the past was merely a fruit fly or a mud worm. ... We must devise a plan to break down the doors and clarify Confucius's ideal of 'Datong' (great unity), viewing the East and West equally, and reconciling old and new scholarship.

Furthermore, Shin Eon-jik synthesized his cosmology and philosophy into 'Ache' (My Body) philosophy, representing a state of enlightenment he reached in his later years. He sought to complete a comprehensive wisdom, a perfect philosophical system. Researcher Lee Young-chun, who has studied Korean Confucianism, described the 'Ache Eum' (Song of My Body) from 'Chwijoo Jeonseo' as a "faithful world cultural history or world human geography" that sings of nature and society. It traverses China, Manchuria, Southeast Asian empires, India, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, eventually broadening its scope to the Earth and the galaxy.

Shin Eon-jik believed, "The great universe is governed by the Supreme Ruler (Sang-jae), and looking into the Supreme Ruler's inner self is precisely my mind; therefore, my mind encompasses the great universe and forms my body." His goal was to "become a perfect being within the universe" by realizing and cultivating this understanding.

Finally, the issue of preserving and inheriting his legacy needs attention. Despite the comparison to Weber, the preservation and study of Shin Eon-jik's writings remain insufficient. This article itself relies on the 'Encyclopedia of Korean Culture' and Lee Young-chun's paper, 'A Case Study of Harmony Between Traditional Confucianism and Modern Scholarship, Focusing on Shin Eon-jik's Chwijoo Jeonseo.' Shin Eon-jik was the author's maternal grandfather. Hearing that most of his books, stored at his maternal grandmother's house, were stolen filled the author with deep regret and even anger. Such valuable records should be publicly preserved. The author felt a strange sense of déjà vu while writing her doctoral dissertation on Korean family law, focusing on traditional issues, coloniality, and gender relations, realizing she might be inheriting her grandfather's concerns. She wonders how much strength his open-minded Confucianism would have provided if added to her own efforts to creatively reinterpret "traditional issues" frozen by colonialism in a feminist way, making them relevant to the present. The fact that his scholarship, pursued single-mindedly in seclusion for a lifetime, has been almost entirely uninherited today represents a profound loss. Perhaps the integration of Eastern and Western thought, tradition and modernity...

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The great universe is governed by the Supreme Ruler (Sang-jae), and looking into the Supreme Ruler's inner self is precisely my mind; therefore, my mind encompasses the great universe and forms my body.