Rediscovering a Neglected Tradition: Book Review-Korean Philosophy: Sources and Interpretations

"We often picture ourselves the birth of philosophical thought happening before the eyes of the Athenian citizens, mesmerized and horrified by the discussions and the hearings of Socrates, Plato, and so on. Nevertheless, the roots of what we call Western philosophy may be as foreign as any root we dig beneath the earth. Egyptian, Amerindian, Bantu, Chinese, and Indian traditions are often treated as strangers in the public square of philosophy, full of flies and chattering owls."

"Korean philosophy has long occupied a curious absence arena, marking presence in occasional references or comparative studies, yet largely inaccessible as a sustained tradition in its own right. The book Rediscovering a Neglected Tradition Korean Philosophy: Sources and Interpretations, edited by Youn Sa-soon-and that is here reviewed by researcher William Gilbert, Ph.D. candidate at Sogang University-offers a rare and important corrective."

"As part of a growing effort to bring understudied philosophical traditions into global view, this volume provides readers with both primary texts and interpretive essays that illuminate more than a millennium of Korean thought. In doing so, it helps us to expand our philosophical boundaries by introducing a tradition that has been obscured not by lack of attention, but by lack of access."

"Expanding our knowledge of a tradition that has long been outcast of the philosophical mainstream also means expanding of what we consider to be the limits of philosophical thought. In this sense, Gilbert urges us to notice that the volume includes authors who were often not considered to be part of philosophical thought, relegated to the label of religious discourse, and so on."

Collected primary texts and interpretive essays reveal more than a millennium of sustained Korean philosophical thought. The material shows that many Korean thinkers addressed profound philosophical questions despite frequent categorization as religious or marginal. Lack of access, rather than lack of substance, has obscured the tradition from mainstream philosophical histories. Bringing these sources into view broadens the geographic and conceptual boundaries of philosophy. Inclusion of Korean thinkers challenges Western-centric narratives and invites reconsideration of what qualifies as philosophical inquiry across different historical and cultural experiences.

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