公孫龍의 思想 (I) = A Study of Kung-Sun Lung (I)

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Ⅰ.Yoon Moon, one of members of School of Names, characterized his study as a clarification of the relations between 'shape' and 'names' and he called himself a member of research group of 'shape' and 'name'. This idea came from Confucius 'theory of rectification of names'. He said "Let the ruler be ruler, the minister minister, the father father, and the son son."
(Analects XII. II.) In other words, every name contains certain implications which constitute the essence of that class of things to which this name applies. Such things, therefore, should agree with this ideal essence. If a ruler acts accordingly to this way of ruler, he is then truly a ruler, in fact as well as in name. There is an agreement between name and actuality. Yoon Moon, therefore, asserted that the School of Name makes clear the relation between 'shape' and 'name'.
Chuang-tzu and Hsu‥n-tzu called the members of the School of Names 'pien che'. Pien che were known as persons who made paradoxical statements, who were ready to dispute with others, and purposely affirmed what others denied and denied what others affirmed. Hsu‥n-tzu describes them as philosophers who 'liked to deal with strange theories and indulge in curious propositions." Chuang-tzu and Hsu‥n-tzu evaluated them just like the sophist of ancient Greece.
In Han's dynasty, Ssu-ma Tan classified the scholars of Warring-States period in six groups and he named the group of Pien che Ming Chia, so hereafter historians and philosophers call them Ming Chia whom we call now the School of Names.
Ⅱ.The Kung-sun Lung-tzu a small work bearing his name which partially survives, has six chapters. The first chapter has been written by his followers and introduces Kung-sun Lung as a scholar who dissatisfied with the divergence and confusion between names and their actualities, he used his talent to discuss the alleged inseparability of whiteness and also he wished to extend his argument so as thereby to rectify names with their actualities, and thus transform the whole world. There are two dialogs which was discussed that time with a Confucians.
Ⅲ.Discourse on the white horse is narrated in chapter two. This shows that it was his pecular dialectic that made Kung-sun Lung famous. The main proposition is "A white horse is not a horse." There are many dialogs with objectors. The reasons of why a white horse is not a horse are explained in connotation and innotation. And this chapter represents the character of Kung-sun Lung's thought which he mentioned in linguistic problems and concept or idea which was called name.
Ⅳ.What Kung-sun Lung wanted to do is to rectify names and their actualities, in other word, what is the true meaning of word. So we can assume him one of the philosopher of language.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ.名家論
• Ⅱ.跡府論
• Ⅲ.白馬論
• Ⅳ.名實論