가치관이란 개인이 자신 및 타인, 사회와 세계, 자연과 우주와 끊임없이 교섭하면서 갖게 되는 태도나 관점을 말한다. 여기에는 주로 어떤 것이 옳은 것이고 바람직한 것이며, 어떤 것을 하거나 하지 말아야 할지에 관한 생각들이 포함된다.
본 논문에서는 조선시대를 주요 시간적인 배경으로 삼아 한국인들이 어떤 부분에 큰 가치를 부여하며 살아왔고, 전통적 가치관이 시대적 환경에 따라 어떤 변용을 거쳤는지를 분석해 보고자 한다. 아울러 이를 근거로 현대 사회에서 계승하고 발현시켜야 할 가치 및 의미를 발견하는 데 도움을 주고자 한다.
일제 강점기를 거치며 수많은 전통가치나 윤리는 왜곡되거나 파괴되어 기존의 사회문화와 전통문화 전체가 부정되는 경향이 나타났다. 그 결과로 드러난 가장 큰 문제는 자의건 타의건 간에 수백 년간 공동체를 이끌어주던 공통의 가치가 사라지게 되었다는 점이다. 공통 가치의 상실은 공동체의 분해와 상실을 초래하게 되었고, 그 결과 우리 민족은 각종 ‘분열’에 시달리며 개인의 영달과 입신양명, 생존에만 매달려 왔다.
역사⋅문화적 단절과 그로 인한 정신적 空洞化 현상을 겪은 우리에게 남겨진 것은 왜곡되거나 변용된 가치와 그것의 본뜻을 모른 채 그릇된 가치를 최선으로 여기고 그것을 향해 질주하는 경향이다. 전통적 가치가 가지고 있는 본래적 의미는 시대를 떠나 보편적인 의미를 던져주는 것이며, 목표를 잃고 방황하는 현대인들에게 삶의 이정표 역할을 할 수 있다. 현대 한국인의 가치를 새롭게 정립하고 추구함에 있어 역사를 반추해 우리 고유의 이상적인 가치의 의미를 자각하고 인식할 수 있다면 동양이냐 서양이냐, 전통이냐 근대냐 등의 해묵은 논의를 넘어서 의미 있는 성과를 얻을 수 있을 것이다.
Traditional values refer to one’s attitudes or perspectives developed by negotiating with oneself, others, society, world, nature and universe, which include thoughts on what is right, desirable, and what is dos and don’ts. The purpose of this study was to investigate values which Korean people traditionally emphasized, and their changes by epochal situation focused on the Choson Era. Also, this study intended to assist in finding values and meaning which should be passed down and manifested in contemporary society based on the study results. In this context, I select some positive values in the background of the Joseon dynasty. As traditional values or ethics in Korea destroyed and distorted going through the period of Japanese colonialism, all the existing social culture and traditional culture were denied, which resulted in vanishing common value which led community for several hundred years. The loss of common value caused community destruction and collapse, and made Korean people seek to survival, success and advancement in life as suffering from severe conflict of values. Experience of hollow state of mind caused by historical and cultural severance left distorted and degenerated values to Korea people, which made them pursue false values without realizing true meaning of traditional values. The true meaning of traditional values should be universal no matter how society changes, and could be milestone to contemporary people wandering aimlessly. Realizing and reconsidering the meaning of traditional values to found comtemporary values of Korean people by reflecting on history can produce significant results beyond age-old debate about East or West, and tradition or modernity.
Traditional values refer to one’s attitudes or perspectives developed by negotiating with oneself, others, society, world, nature and universe, which include thoughts on what is right, desirable, and what is dos and don’ts. The purpose of this study was to investigate values which Korean people traditionally emphasized, and their changes by epochal situation focused on the Choson Era. Also, this study intended to assist in finding values and meaning which should be passed down and manifested in contemporary society based on the study results. In this context, I select some positive values in the background of the Joseon dynasty. As traditional values or ethics in Korea destroyed and distorted going through the period of Japanese colonialism, all the existing social culture and traditional culture were denied, which resulted in vanishing common value which led community for several hundred years. The loss of common value caused community destruction and collapse, and made Korean people seek to survival, success and advancement in life as suffering from severe conflict of values. Experience of hollow state of mind caused by historical and cultural severance left distorted and degenerated values to Korea people, which made them pursue false values without realizing true meaning of traditional values. The true meaning of traditional values should be universal no matter how society changes, and could be milestone to contemporary people wandering aimlessly. Realizing and reconsidering the meaning of traditional values to found comtemporary values of Korean people by reflecting on history can produce significant results beyond age-old debate about East or West, and tradition or modernity.
