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A Study on a Culture of Silence in Korea and a Process of Building up Moral Agents

  • The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics
  • Abbr : 기사윤
  • 2015, (32), pp.55-84
  • Publisher : The Society Of Korean Christian Social Ethics
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology

WooYoung Park 1

1감리교신학대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The article raises a question of how effectively a social space where different memories of social sufferings and new possible directions toward a more humane society can be shared now works in Korea. The lack of this social space in Korea could be related to: 1) an absence of trustable groups, 2) a censorship of governmental power, and 3) an oppression of diversity through a negative solidarity with corrupt people. A culture of silence in Korea gets much more strengthened by 1) a closed world-view through a connection between fundamentalism and nationalism as an ideology, 2) a way in which ideologies leads people in very distorted deep implications, and 3) schools and churches in Korea as a closed educational system that internalizes closed world-views and ideologies in society. A culture that forces a silence in the life of society is considered a social violence which leads into uniform orders and controls. To overcome this critical problem, a new understanding of moral agents is needed in the society. According to Judith Butler, a new subject as a moral agent needs to accept the fact that it is impossible to fully control and dominate others. The new moral agents will experience their passivity and go through losing their 'pseudo' subjectivity. Based on these experiences, they can escape from a temptation that they can fully explain and control their own lives. The new subjects as moral agents who acknowledge 'the failure of modern subjects' can talk about making new directions toward a more humane society and sharing new values in their lives. The moral agents have a possibility of making a chasm in a culture of silence in Korea by listening carefully to others and making totally new relationships.

Citation status

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