• The Journal of Korean Philosophical History
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• no.57
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• pp.9-30
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• 2018

The paradigm of existence and recognition was changed in the context of modernity in Choi Han-gi's thought, in which the resource of all things and all affairs was not li but ki and li could be guessed from ki. And there are lis in the sphere of recognition as well as in that of existence in Choi Han-gi's thought, which might be different from traditional thought system such as Neo-Confutionism. li is called Yuhaenguili in his ontological theory and Chucheukuili as one epistemological part. At anyhow there are many lis, which may be approached as the meaning of mechanism, in his philosophy. Besides there are, not only ontologically but also epistemologically, energetic factors, named as Unhwaki, whch are generating, moving, changing and altering. In his Kihak as an ki categorical thought, above all one's experience is of importance. He believed moral act, for example the expose of saving mind that was called Cheukeunjisim by Mencius, could be derived from social experience or contact. And he thought that the recognition of moral act might be achieved by the action of mysterious energy names as sinki of the essence of mind. Like these aspects, all things and all ones have their active, movable, and changeable natures in the sphere of both existence and recognition in Choi Han-gi's thought. In this way he got out of the previous ideas and presented practical and modern way of life to us.