A Study on the Meaning of Confucian Ethics and Modern Society through Samgang Haengsildo (三綱行實圖)

Samgang Haengsildo (三綱行實圖) is a representative educational book of Joseon that summarizes actual cases of loyal subject (忠臣), filial son (孝子), and faithful woman (烈女) who can serve as examples for the Samgang (三綱) of monarch and subject (君臣), father and son (父子), and husband and wife (夫婦). At the time, intellectuals presented ‘filial duty (孝)’ as a fundamental ethical norm, and saw this ‘filial duty’ lead to ‘loyalty (忠)’ for the monarch and ‘fidelity (烈)’ for the husband. King Sejong the Great, who first ordered the publication of Samgang Haengsildo, also tried to present ethical norms to the people and remind them of the Confucian virtues of loyalty, filial duty, and fidelity through this book. As the essence of its Confucian ethical meaning, the first thing to emphasize in ‘filial duty’ is the feeling of respecting and cherishing parents. Next, the emphasis in ‘loyalty’ is on maintaining an honest relationship between the king and his subjects. Specifically, it means faith, devotion and loyalty. Lastly, what is emphasized in ‘fidelity’ is upholding integrity and showing utmost devotion to one’s husband. This is also a Confucian ethics emphasized as a marital ethics to protect the harmony of the family. However, such Confucian virtues have also been critically evaluated as ‘Moral violence’, ‘Act of self-destruction’, and ‘Vertical ethics’ in modern society. Moral violence is a concept that contains a kind of mental violence that enforces morality. The term ‘Act of self-destruction’ refers to a concept centered not on prioritizing the mind of the moral subject but rather on a self-centered approach to morality. This means that, even if an action is considered moral, it is merely an act of self-satisfaction rather than one that genuinely fulfills the needs of others. Lastly, the term ‘Vertical ethics’ refers to a concept in which superiors demand unilateral loyalty and absolute sacrifice from inferiors. Accordingly, this study aims to uncover new insights by re-examining the Samgang Haengsildo from the early Joseon period through a modern perspective.