Pak Chiwŏn (; 1737–1805), styled Yeonam (), was a philosopher and novelist in the late

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

dynasty. He has been regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of the so-called "Practical Learning (

silhak ''Silhak'' () was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in the late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-C ...

)" movement. Pak Chiwŏn belonged to the "School of Profitable Usage and Benefiting the People" () to promote the industrialization of his country and the development of trade by positively introducing western technologies to Joseon Korea. Pak Chiwŏn proposed that Joseon import advanced technologies from the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, and promote

mercantilism Mercantilism is a economic nationalism, nationalist economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports of an economy. It seeks to maximize the accumulation of resources within the country and use those resources ...

. The scholars Bak Jega,

Yu Deukgong Yu Deuk-gong (; 1749–1807) was a Korean scholar during the Joseon Dynasty. He is remembered today for his work in recovering the history of Balhae, which had not generally been considered part of Korean history before his time. See also *Hist ...

and were influenced by Pak Chiwŏn.

Belief

Along with

Hong Daeyong Hong Taeyong (; 12 May 1731 – 17 November 1783), art name Tamhŏn (), was a philosopher, astronomer and mathematician of the late Joseon Kingdom. Hong was an early leader of the ''Profitable Usage and Benefiting the People'' () school of tho ...

, he argued that the ground is not flat but round. He saw that the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

could be a large circle, not a flat surface. It also claimed that the land consists of one dust and soil. He argued that the world is objectively real, from celestial bodies to all things, and that everything in the universe is created in the process of the particle of dust and movement and change. Pak's claim that the Earth is a round circle was accepted as absurd.

Personal criticism

Pak Chiwŏn's appearance is described in Gwajeong-rok (過庭錄), written by his son, Pak Jong-chae. He was tall and very big, had a long face, prominent cheekbones, and a double eyelid. The record is almost identical to the remaining portraits of Pak Chiwŏn. Pak also said that his voice was so loud that he could be heard far outside the fence even if he spoke. Although there was one portrait depicting Pak Chiwŏn as a middle-aged man, Yeonam forced him to destroy the portrait, saying it was less than 70 percent of his original self, and he never accepted his son's plea to paint it again. Pak Chiwŏn was also not able to negotiate easily with others. Kim Ki-soon said, "He lacked the power to hold down smoothly because he was so graceful, and he was always too strong to have a smooth side." Pak Chiwŏn also admitted, "It's all because of my personality that I've been through this sort of mess all my life." In fact, Pak entered the government office with a sound letter and served as a minister of internal affairs and internal affairs, but was not included in key posts in the government.

Books

* The Jehol Diary () * * Heosaengjeon () * YeonamJip () Pak Chiwŏn was also influenced by Chinese writers and technology. He wrote farming manuals with recommendations and was active in practical agronomy. His farming books were ''Kwonongsocho'' and ''Nongjongsinso''.''Encyclopaedia Korea its land, people and culture of all ages'' (1960) Hakwon-sa Ltd, under Agronomy (at 465)

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Jung Yoo-seok in the 2014 tvN TV series ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

''.

References

External links

* https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/02/135_81644.html
Yeonam Bak Jiwon, Die Schelte des Tigers
(in German)
Yonam ''Bak Jiwon'': a humanist who sided with the lower classes
(연암 박지원: 백성의 편에서 세상을 바꾼 휴머니스트), Im Chae-yeong (임채영), Naver BookStory, March 2012, (in Korean) . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bak, Chiwŏn 18th-century Korean philosophers Korean Confucianists 1737 births 1805 deaths People from Seoul 18th-century Korean poets 18th-century agronomists Joseon magistrates