북인(北人) 학파의 연원과 사상, 그리고 현실인식

The Origin and Philosophy of the "Northerners School(北人)," and their Perception of the world

조선중기 북인의 모집단을 형성하는데 주축이 되었던 학파는 남명학파와 화담학파였다. 경의(敬義)의 실천을 강조한 남명의 사상은 임진왜란 때 다수의 의병장을 배출하였고, 광해군대 정인홍이 북인의 영수로 활약하면서 그 사상이 이어졌다. 이외에 성리학을 절충적으로 이해하고 개방적 성향을 보인 화담의 사상이 북인 학파에 큰 영향을 미쳤다. 광해군대에 북인이 정국을 운영할 때 실천적인 성향이 강해지고, 성리학에 대해 상대적으로 자유스런 분위기가 조성된 것에는 남명이나 화담의 사상적 영향력이 크다고 판단된다. 대북(大北)의 정인홍과 허균, 소북(小北)의 김신국, 남이공 등은 북인의 사상과 현실인식을 적극적으로 피력한 인물이었다. 1623년의 인조반정이후 사상계가 퇴계학파나 율곡학파가 주축이 된 주자성리학 흐름으로 정착되면서 북인(北人)의 사상은 시대의 주류적 흐름에서 밀려나게 된다. 정치사상에도 자파(自派)만이 군자당(君子黨)이라 확신하고 타 정파에 배타적인 입장을 취한 점 또한 몰락의 원인이 되었다. 17세기 중반 인조반정과 호란을 거치면서 조선사상계가 주자성리학 중심으로 재편되면서 북인(北人)의 사상은 역사의 전면에서 밀려나 저류적인 흐름으로서 그 역사적 기능을 수행하게 된다. 북인(北人)의 사상은 17세기 중, 후반 근기남인 학자들이나 18세기의 실학자 이익(李瀷)에게 일정한 영향을 미치면서 그 흐름이 일부 이어졌다. 북인은 조선중기 서인, 남인과 함께 정치, 사상을 이끌어간 대표적인 정파이자 학파였다. 최근 북인의 뿌리가 되는 조식과 서경덕에 대한 연구를 비롯하여, 북인 정치사상의 계승에 대한 연구가 체계적으로 수행되고 있다. 이러한 연구는 조선중기 이후 정치사와 사상사 연구의 폭을 보다 확대 줄 것이다.

The two schools which eventually came to form the "Northerners party" in the middle period of the Joseon dynasty, were Nam'myeong school and Hwadam school. Nam'myeong's philosophy, which emphasized the importance and merit of acting upon respect and righteousness(敬義), encouraged many people to organize righteous militias during the war with the Japanese in the 1590s, and when Jeong In-hong established himself as the leader of the Northerners party during the reign of King Gwang'hae-gun, the philosophy of the party and the school continued to thrive. Also, Hwadam's philosophy, which tried to understand Neo-Confucianism from a flexible point of view and demonstrated a level of openness toward it, had a considerable influence upon the Northerners school as well. It seems Nam'myeong Jo Shik and Hwadam Seo Gyeong-deok were the ones who ultimately enabled the Northerners party to be more active in their operations of the government and also to approach more freely toward the ideology of Neo-Confucianism. Prime examples of the party's stance and attitude, and also of the school's philosophy and perception of the world, were figures like Jeong In-hong and Heo Gyun from the 'Majority Northerners(大北) party,' and Kim Shin-guk and Nam I-gong from the 'Minority Northerners(小北) party.'Since the time of King Injo's ascension to the throne in 1623, the philosophical society of Joseon came to be occupied by schools who were deeply committed and dedicated to the teachings of Ju Hi and his Neo-Confucianism, such as the Twe'gye and Yulgok schools, and as a result the Northerners' philosophy was pushed away from its former formidable status. Their political philosophy was also partially responsible for their fall, as they believed only them were the ideal Confucian figures(君子黨), and never appreciated the stances of other political factions. In the middle of the 17th century, passing through a war with the Manchurian Qing dynasty as well, they further became a mere undercurrent. Yet their thinking and philosophy partially survived, as it managed to affect and influence the Southerner school scholars who were living in the vicinity of the capital in the mid and late 17th century, as well as the "Shilhak" scholars such as Yi Ik/李瀷 in the 18th century, on a certain level. The Northerners faction was a party and a school which led the political and philosophical societies of Joseon, alongside the Westerners and Southerners, in the middle period of the Joseon dynasty. Recently, studies of Jo Shik and Seo Gyeong-deok, figures who were the roots of the Northerners faction, and studies of how the Northerners' political philosophy was inherited to the following generations, have been published and announced. All these efforts will enrich future studies dealing with the political history and philosophical history of the middle and latter periods of the Joseon dynasty.