Date of Submission
Spring 2020
Academic Program
Historical Studies
Project Advisor 1
Gregory Moynahan
Project Advisor 2
Robert Culp
Abstract/Artist's Statement
Based on thorough evaluations of John Locke’s England (1632~1704), Jeong Dojeon’s Korea (1342~1398), and Heo Gyun’s Korea (1569~1618), it can be concluded that a social contract between a ruler and a ruler’s subjects existed in both the English and Joseon kingdoms. The idea that both kingdoms could have all people such as servants, farmers, and kings all know their political freedom disproves Hegel’s argument that one person knows freedom in Asia, and all people know freedom in Europe. This also shows that there is a broader human context in Asia and Europe and that the desire and drive for political freedom is inherent in human beings, regardless of what hemisphere they are from.
Open Access Agreement
Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Park, Jihyeong, "The Incomplete Social Contract: Elites and Ideals in the England of John Locke (1632~1704) and the Korea of Jeong Dojeon (1342~1398) and Heo Gyun (1569~1618)" (2020). Senior Projects Spring 2020. 106.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2020/106
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.