SEONGHO YI IK
He connects Confucian learning with livelihood and institutions, seeking gradual, workable rules that protect the foundations of ordinary life.
Other names and spellings
성호 이익 · 이익 · 성호 · Yi Ik · Sŏngho Yi Ik · Yi Ick
Core ideas
Works & sources
Seongho jip · Seongho saseol · Gwagurok
SEONGHO YI IK, a first reading
Seongho Yi Ik was a late Joseon scholar who connected Confucian learning with questions of livelihood and institutional reform. He looked for changes that could operate under existing conditions rather than simply restoring an ancient ideal in full.
Yi Ik’s limited-field reform: what does it mean?
Yi Ik proposed protecting a minimum permanent holding for each household from sale while allowing transactions in land beyond it. The plan sought gradual reform that could prevent small farmers from losing their livelihood, but it also left a major limitation: without a firm ceiling on ownership, large estates could continue to persist.
Explore the thinker and concept ↗