Silhak facts for kids

Silhak (실학) was a special way of thinking and learning that became very important in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The word Sil means "actual" or "practical," and hak means "studies" or "learning." So, Silhak was all about "practical learning." It focused on real-world problems, like how to improve farming and make the economy stronger.

Why Silhak Started

Silhak began when the Joseon Dynasty was facing many challenges. After wars with Japan, many people in Korea were very poor, and the country's economy was struggling. Also, a lot of farmland had become unusable, making it hard for farmers to grow food.

To fix these big problems, some smart thinkers, called philosophers, believed that the old ways of learning, like Neo-Confucianism, weren't helping enough. They decided a new kind of education was needed to help ordinary people and improve the country. This new way of thinking was named Silhak.

Key Ideas of Silhak

Silhak scholars wanted to make life better for everyone. They focused on several important areas:

• Helping Farmers: They thought about new ways to share land fairly and make farming easier and more productive.
• Improving the Economy: They looked for ways to boost trade, business, and even bring in new technologies.
• Practical Knowledge: Instead of just studying old books, they believed in learning about things like science, mathematics, and geography because these subjects could solve real problems.
• Fair Government: Some scholars even suggested ways to make the government fairer and choose leaders based on their skills, not just their family background.

Important Silhak Scholars

Many brilliant people were part of the Silhak movement. Here are some of them:

• Kim Yuk (1580–1658): He brought a new calendar to Korea and strongly supported using new technologies.
• Yi Su-gwang (1563–1627): This scholar-official introduced Western science, religion, and social studies to Korea.
• Yu Hyeong-won (1622-1673): He was one of the first Silhak scholars. He suggested a "public land system" where the government would give land to farmers to use.
• Yi Ik (1681–1764): He led a group called the "School of Administration and Practical Usage." He believed in an "equal field system" to give every farmer enough land. Unlike some older scholars, Yi Ik thought subjects like geography and mathematics were very important for real learning.
• Park Ji-won (1737–1805): He was a leader of the "School of Profitable Usage and Benefiting the People." He worked to help industry, commerce, and bring in new ideas from other countries.
• Hong Dae-yong (1731–1783): He was very interested in space and studied it deeply.
• Pak Je-ga (1750–1815): He was part of the "Northern School of Silhak." He was upset about the government tests (called kwago) that were supposed to pick smart people for jobs but had become unfair.
• Jeong Yak-yong (1762–1836), also known as "Dasan": He was a major leader in the third wave of Silhak. He suggested a "village land system" where a whole village would own and farm its land together, sharing what they produced based on how much work each person did. He also wrote a famous book called The Mind Governing the People (목민심서), where he argued that a strict social class system with the king at the very top might not always be the best way to organize society.

Other important scholars included:

• Yi Minseo (son of Yi Su-gwang)
• Heo Mok (1595-1682)
• Yi Seo-woo (1633-1709)
• An Jeong-bok (1712–1791)
• Yun Hyu (1617–1680)
• Park Se-dang (1629–1703)
• Shin Hoodam (1702-1761)
• Sin Gyeong-jun (1712–1781)
• Wi Baek-gyu (1727–1798)
• Yi Deok-mu (1741–1793)
• Kim Jeonghui (1786–1856)

Silhak was a very important movement that helped Korea think about new ways to solve its problems and improve the lives of its people during a difficult time.