Hong Dae Young ( cor. 홍대용 ; May 12, 1731 - November 17, 1783 “Relaxed Home”; nickname - Tokpo, pseudonym - Tamhon [1] ) - philosopher , astronomer and mathematician of the late kingdom of Joseon . Hon was one of the first leaders in the school of thought, “Profitable Use and Benefit for People” ( cor. 이용 후생 파 ). He contributed to the industrialization and development of trade in his country, introducing Western technology in Korea. Hon was a friend of Park Ji-won , who was also one of the leaders of the Profitable Use School [2] . A pioneer of Korean astronomy, "Korean Copernicus" [3] .
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Content
Early Life
Hong Dae Young was born in 1731 in Cheonan , province of South Chuncheon , into a noble noble family [1] , which was the core of the influential political group Noron [3] . In his early years, Hong was educated by Kim Wen-ta. During this period, the basis of his scientific world lay traditional neo-Confucianism . In 1765, Hon followed his uncle, Hon Yok (Hangul 홍억), who was on Joseon's missions in imperial China. In China, Hong witnessed the brilliant development of the Qing Dynasty and experienced cultural shock . Upon returning to Joseon, Hong insisted on strengthening national prosperity.
Astronomy
Hon was also interested in astronomy and mathematics . Hong Dae-yong independently concluded that the Earth rotates around its axis and around the sun, which overturned the prevailing Confucian ideas about the structure of the Universe. Traditional Confucians believe that the sky is spherical, and the earth is square, so they could not understand the idea of Hon. He also firmly ruled out anthropocentrism [4] . Hon believed that all things in nature are equal.
After Hon failed the imperial exam several times (a kind of exam for senior civil service), he refused the exam and was absorbed in astronomical research. He wrote the Catechism of Mount Eusan (Hangul 의산 문답), which contains the concepts of Earth's rotation, the equality of biological species and the infinity of outer space . In mathematics, Hon wrote Interpretation and Use of Mathematics (Hangul 주해 수용). He also wrote a travel essay on Yanjing in 1765 and 1766 (Hangul 을병 연행록), notes on his travels to China.
Hong Dae-young was impressed by the watch that Na Kyung-jok produced. Together with his teacher, he made another watch; then on their own - a device for astronomical observations "Hongcheon". In contrast to the already existing prototype of the device, driven by a water wheel, the Hong Dae-yong device was connected to a clock mechanism, and thus higher accuracy was achieved when calculating the trajectory of movement and the location of celestial bodies [3] .
Crown Prince
In 1774, Hong was recommended as a mentor to the Crown Prince, who later became King of Jeonjo . Hon discussed many topics with the Crown Prince. Although the prince was satisfied with Hon's research and erudition, Hon noted their diverging views on several topics and the prince's conservatism. He demanded that Hon go to public service and be his own employee, but Hon refused. He wrote Notes to the Crown Prince’s mentor (Hangul 계방 일기), revealing the topics of their disputes.
After the crown prince ascended the throne after the death of King Yongjo , Hon was appointed governor of the county. There he tried to test his progressive ideas in local society. However, in 1782 his mother's health condition worsened, so Hong refused to serve and returned to Seoul. In 1783, his mother recovered, but Hon had a sudden stroke , and on October 23, 1783 according to the lunar calendar (November 17, 1783 according to the solar calendar ), he died.
Proceedings
Khon’s works, including the Mount Wie Catechism, Interpretation and Use of Mathematics, and Notes by the Crown Prince’s Mentor, were compiled in the book Relaxed Home Books (Hangul 담 헌서). His practical Confucian ideas were continued by Park Ji-won and students of Pak Chivon, while no one further developed scientific ideas.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Hong Dae Yong // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
- ↑ Hong Daeyong (洪大容) (cor.) . Encyclopedia of Korean Culture . Date of treatment June 17, 2018.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Hong Dae Young - “Korean Copernicus” . world.kbs.co.kr .
- ↑ The ideological course of the "sirhak" .