Neo-Confucianism and Science in Korea: Humanity and Nature, 1706-1814

In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Korean intellectuals were influenced by Chinese Neo-Confucianism and the European Enlightenment, leading to the formation of secret societies for the study of nature. This book explores the impact of these intellectuals on knowledge production in Korea, providing a fascinating insight into the largely overlooked story of how globalization affected intellectual life before the 20th century.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 204 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Historians of late premodern Korea have often portrayed the country as a secluded and isolated realm, cut off from its neighbors and the broader world. However, as Ro compellingly argues in his book, Korean intellectuals were deeply influenced by both Chinese Neo-Confucianism and the European Enlightenment during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

In the late Choson period, the regime faced mounting threats from the emerging, more empirical approaches to knowledge coming from the East and the West. As a result, many Korean intellectuals felt compelled to operate in secrecy and formed secret societies dedicated to the study of nature. The secrecy of these societies has kept much of their work unknown even in Korea until recent years.

Ho delves into the work of these intellectuals and analyzes the profound impact their thinking and experimentation had on knowledge production in Korea. This book offers a fascinating insight into the largely overlooked story of how globalization shaped intellectual life in Korea before the 20th century. It will be of immense interest to students and scholars of Korean history, as well as those engaged in the study of Asian intellectual history more broadly.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367701871