In order to compare the estem thoughts with the western thoughts, we need to have the reference of comparison. As a reference of comparison between eastern and western thoughts, I established the three level of understanding； the levels of Tao(道)-Sein understanding, Simul(時物)-Dasein understanding, Eumyangsang(陰陽相)―Vorstellung understanding. It is hard to define the level of Tao-Sein understanding conceptually. ‘Sein’ corresponds to ‘Tao(道)’.‘Tao’ is free from the limits of time and space, cause and effect. Nonetheless, Tao and Sein are the origin and foundation of all things. The major terms of eastern thoughts are related to this level. The Simul―Dasein understanding level centers upon the understanding of synchronocity and totality. This level is always represented as ‘now and here.’ At this level, there is a cause and effect. The Eumyangsang-Vorstellung understanding is based upon the categorical and dichotomous understanding. At this level, understanding is always restrained by either time and place or cause and effect, or both. And the subject and the object, the observer and the observed are recognized as divided. The Eumyangsang-Vorstellung understanding is dichotomous, partial, relative, and analytic. The western modern epistemology or world-view has been based on the Vorstellung understanding.

How to view a society is an important basis for understanding the sociological reality. The purpose of this paper is to explore a new view of society on the basis of the unified world view on which the East-Asian thought is founded. The view of society in modern sociology can be divided into an individual - oriented one and a whole-oriented one. In the former a society is regarded as a simple aggregate of individuals, while in the latter a society is thought to be an independent being existing in the outside of individuals and affecting the individuals. These two views of society are different in that one emphasizes the individual and the other the whole but they stand on the same premise in that both views think that the individual and society are basically separate categories. On the other hand, the unified world view in East-Asia has a different premise: that is, this view tries to understand the world on the premise that the part and whole are not different and they are a unified body. From the unified world view, an individual being has her/his own individuality and autonomy, containing the whole simultaneously. As such, the process of individuality of a person has a structure which ultimately attributes the realization of how to be unified with the whole and the development of the whole. The unified view of society has several meanings which can help the development of sociology. This paper searches the possibility of solving the confrontation between the theories of social nominalism and social realism on the basis of the new view of society. It also tries to find out the possibility of new definition of some important sociological notions such as liberty, inequality and rationality. Finally this paper explores the possibility of attributing the repletion of theories of social problem and social development.

With the successful development of East Asian countries, world-wide interest on their culture has been increased. This paper aims to compare as social ethics the Enlightenment as a root of modern Western thoughts with the Confucianism in the East. Social Ethics is the reference of social behaviors and the models of desirable behaviors to attain the ideal society based on the understandings on the society and human beings. As a result, epistemology on individual, society, and their relationship is the basis of social ethics. Enlightenment thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, and Kant faced difficulties establishing the moral relationship between individual and society because of their presupposition of the isolated primitive individual. By contrast, Confucianism acknowledges the indivisible wholeness of individual and society. Confrontations between individual and society in the Western thought do not exist. Rather individuals are induced to adapt to multiple social statuses and perform social roles accordingly. Because of their ahistorical presupposition of primitive individuals of unalienable rights, Enlightenment thinkers and modern rationalism reveal problems in defining the proper relationship between the individual and society, while Confucianism successfully provides ethical and behavioral models for social life. Also discussed are the being and oughtness, dualism of reason and sentiment, human existence and time and space, single-minded rationalism, and the intervention of the state and increasing formal rationality.

The purpose of this study is to construct the theory of inequality in Confucian by way of the normative philosophy of the pre-Chin Empire Confucians and Li-Ki theory of neo- Confucian. Neo―Confucian cosmology states that all the things and phenomena are composed of the combination of Li and Ki. And the moral hierarchy existing in all the things comes from the differences in the realization of Li and Ki resulting from the differences in purity, impurity, the transmitted, and the blocked of Ki. According to Li-Ki theory, the inequality is a kind of things and is also made up of the combination of the status of Li and the status of Ki. Mencius calls the status of Ki the title graced by the heaven and this is a personal status resulted from the virtue. On the other hand, the status of Ki, which is titled by man, is the social status acquired through the virtue and capability. Confucian keeps the consistent standpoint, alerting the fact that the social inequality is dependent on the status of Ki and indifferent to the status of Li. When Confucian copes with inequality, it considers it desirable to emphasize the status of Li and to subordinate the status of KI, focusing on how to reduce the disparity between the status of Li and Ki. In order to handle the inequality, it tried to make the social status(Ki) congruent with the social role (Li) through the political righteous name and it also tried to improve the conditions which realized the nature of benevolence and righteousness of people through the economic affluence and the even distribution of richness. More direct way of overcoming inequality was to provide people with the equal opportunities of education, opening the opportunities for reaching the status of Li. Basically the inequality theory of Confucian is conservative but it also includes the liberal ideology in the sense that it argues that the social status should be determined by the universal value such as virtue and the objective standard such as one's capability. It can be said that Confucian is similar to the hierarchial approach in the points that the standard of classifying the social inequality is pluralistic and it considers that the social status is caused by the differences in the way of living and finally it attaches the importance to the organic relations between the social status. The inequality theory of Confucian is meaningful in several senses in understanding the unequal social phenomenon of the modern Korean society where the Confucian culture governs the deep aspects of the society. First, the personal resources such as the virtue and noble personality work as the important factors of social inequality. Second, in the Confucian order, the relationship based on the blood ties is the main cause of the social inequality. Third, the Confucian culture based on the family and family property system emphasizes the friendliness and harmony rather than the competition and antagonism in the relation between the social status.

After the IMF economic crisis, th basic socio-economic policies of the new regime are represented as the market economy and the social democracy. For this, the so-called ‘people’s government’tried to make itself a small government by minimizimg government’s intervention in the economic activities and reducing various government’s regulations. Its final goal is to achieve economic transparency and efficiency by increasing economic autonomy. The theoretical background of this policy is neo-liberalism. But, even if the small government does not mean directly the weak government, it may limit the urgent needs of the socio-economic reforms. I emphasize that socio-economic reform can not be accomplished so efficiently by the small government. Socio-economic reform can be made by the strong governmental role highly supported by the people. This form of government depends more on the traditional culture and historical experiences rather than the western ideology of neo-liberalism. Traditionaly, patrimonial rule and moralism originated from the Confucionism helped the Korean society to have a strong government. The future success of socio-economic reform of the new regime may depend on how to make a strong government being supported by the people.

With comparison between thought of Laotzu and that of Post-mordmism, we have investigated the differences and of similarities lying on these two thoughts. Both of these two side take a critical stance on ‘chih(知：knowledge/ related with ‘yu(욕: desire)’. They think that this secular chih in the real world, resulting from reason and desire, has negative effects. However, these two thoughts show differences on the point of view toward desire； Laotzu insists on ‘wu wei(無爲：the action confirm with taoist’s version of nature)’, while post-modernist on the resurrection of desire. On the other hand, these two thoughts have similarity on the argument how to understand th truth. Both of them refuse to accept the truth, which human beings are seeking after in the real world. If we take views on the side of Laotzu, ‘Tao(道：taoist’s version of providence)’can be revealed as an absolute truth. Post-modernists, however, take a negative attitude toward even this ‘tao’ of absolute truth. As we may infer, post-modernist’s have every possible ground that even this 'tao' of absolute truth may have another limits. But we must point out that ‘tao’ can not be perceived by ‘chih’, which has secular and analytic characteristics. 'Tao' is the truth that surpassing the degree of differentiation and differences. Therefore, what counts more is how to realize it. This ‘tao’ can be achieved only through ‘wu wei’ and insight. This pont makes difference from view of post-modernist's. They insist that there lie possibility on the way of perception through “horizon of comprehension”. When we make an argument about Asian and Western thoughts, it is highly recommended to get it out open the similarities and the differences lying on them, in spite of the limits resulting from conceptual diversity, I am sure these kinds of studies will bring us the steady breakdown for the wall of different way of thinking and interpreting the world.

This paper tried to introduce the concept and characteristics of new religious movement in the 5~6 centuries of China, that is Samkeikyo, in relation to the social conditions and the religious atmosphere of that times. At that times, in Chinese society, the Samkeikyo was the most popular religion because its doctrine and practice had the proper spirit of that times and it emphasized strongly the social practice and the religion for people. Therefore, it is called ‘religion proper to times’. At that times, many of new Buddhist sect take an active part in the political, social and religious aspects. Therefore, it is important to investigate the social meaning through analyses for the characters of Chinese Samkeikyo and to examine historically its formation and development, in order to understand the sociology of Buddhism. Accordingly, this paper is constituted of the base and formation in relation to the eschatology of Buddhism, and the doctrine of Samkeikyo, which has been affected by the particular historical circumstance of Chinese society and the social change of that times. I wish that this paper will eventually contribute to the possibility of the sociology of Buddhism as well as the study of the Millennium movement in in view of Buddhism.