전환기의 철학과 불교사상 = Philosophy at Turning Point and the Buddhist Thoughts

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Nietzsche pointed out that the traditional rationalism of the Western philosophy was a product of the "will to power." The spirit of "le pouvoir-savoir" (power-knowledge), that Foulcaut specified and criticized as the basis of the modernity, stems from it. The will to power in the form of "le pouvoir-savoir" refers to the "philosophy of possession" that is the very basis of modernity. Romanticism objectivism are also variations of the "philosophy of possession." The philosophy of possession, or modernity, has made great contributions to the enhancement of human conditions, especially in terms of freedom and equality. The ideals of freedom and equality, however, failed to be enhanced on the ontological dimension, for they were merely taken as meaning expansion of possession.
The 21st century requires a shift from the philosophy of possession to ontological thinking, in other words, from philosophy of society to that of nature, from philosophy of reason to that of instinct. Nietzsche's concept of Übermensch is insightful in this regard, since it refers to the shift from social reason (or instinct) to natural instinct. Social reason has worked for hypocritical justification of the ontical will to power or selfish greed of rulers who monopolize, in Batille's words, "mastership" and establish "restricted economy." The will to power as natural instinct, on the other hand, goes for "general economy" or "non-economic economy" on the basis of "sovereignty," not "mastership," as we can see in how nature works.
Buddhist doctrines, including those of "dependent origination" and "emptiness," are full of the insights into the dimension of natural instincts. They teach us to overcome social instincts, that lead to master/slave dichotomy, and go for natural instincts that seek for symbios of all individuals. Buddhism, therefore, has much to contribute to articulation of a new philosophy required in the 21st century, that is, the philosophy of human ontology or natural instincts.
Korean Buddhism needs to establish, or recover, the appropriate ideal of Buddhist "practice" in order to be the agent of the new philosophy. Buddhist practice is all about shifting one's social instincts to natural ones. Each practitioner should cultivate oneself so as to live in accordance with his/her Buddhahood (= natural instincts), and then altruistic or symbiotic mode of life will be naturally accomplished. It may be called the life of a "little Buddha," which is not different from what Nietzsche envisioned when he talked about Übermensch.