이 논문은 동아시아 유교 사회에서 소통과 신뢰의 바탕이 되어온 ‘신(信)’ 즉 ‘믿음’이라는 덕목을 재검토한 것이다. 믿음’이란 기본적으로 동아시아 유교 사회에서는 인간과 인간, 개인과 집단, 집단과 집단 사이에서 모두 필요한 것으로서 모든 관계의 바탕이 되어왔다. 한편 유교 윤리 ‘오상, 오륜’ 가운데, 현대사회에서도 특별한 저항감 없이 받아들일 수 있는 것이 바로 믿음이라는 덕목이다. 이 논문에서는 다음과 같은 내용을 논의하였다. 첫째: 붕우 간의 관계에서 주로 거론되는 ‘믿음’은 본래 한 사람의 언어와 행위에 틀림-속임-거짓이 없이 일치하는 것을 의미한다. 즉 문서가 아닌 인간의 언어적 약속이 실행과 일치되는 것 이른바 언행일치를 가리키는 개념이었다. 자신의 말에 대한 책임과 의무를 다할 때 믿음은 획득되는 것이었다. 둘째: 믿음에 근거한 모든 행위가 정당화되는 것은 아니다. 믿음은 ‘의로움[義]’이라는 기본 위에 ‘예의[禮]’, ‘공손함[孫]’이라는 과정이 뒤따를 때 반사회적, 반생명적이지 않게 된다. 내면적 성실-진실-충실은 필요 조건이지 충분 조건은 아니다. 셋째: 믿음은 인의예지가 거쳐야만 하는 플랫폼이자 그것이 그것으로서 인정받기 위한 기본 바탕이 된다. 다시 말해서 인의예지가 인의예지로서 드러나는 것은 그 덕목이 그 자체에 틀림-속임-거짓이 없이 일치해야 한다. 넷째: 믿음은 - 마치 공자가 “믿음[信]로써 이루어 내는 것”을 밝힌데서 알 수 있듯이 - 인의예지의 마지막에 와서 인의예지 그 자체의 완성이라는 의미를 갖기도 한다. 다섯째: 첫째와 관련된 것으로, 우리가 일반적으로 믿고 따르는 그 무엇이 객관성, 방향성, 올바름을 확보할 수 있기 위해서는 철저한 공부와 성찰이 있어야 한다는 점이다.

This paper is a review of the virtue of 'Sin(信, faith) that has been the basis of communication and trust in East Asian Confucian societies. Faith was basically a necessity in East Asian Confucian societies between man and man, between individual and collective, and between group and group. It has been the foundation of all relationships. On the other hand, it was a Confucian ethic that could be accepted without resistance in modern society. Now, to conclude the discussion in this paper, it can be summarized as follows: First, the issue of faith, which is usually discussed in the relationship between friends, originally means that a person's language and actions are in perfect agreement. In other words, it was not a document, but a concept that referred to the correspondence of human verbal commitments with practice. Faith was to be earned by fulfilling one's responsibilities and obligations to one's words. Second, not all faith-based actions are justified. Faith must be founded on justice and followed by courtesy and humility. At this time, they become not antisocial and anti-life. Inner sincerity is not necessarily in accordance with universal principles. Inner sincerity is a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition. In order for it to have a just meaning in a complex society, it must * This work was supported by Yeungnam University's 2022 the University Fund Open Research Project(2022000151). be based on justice and shown with courtesy and humility. Third, faith is the platform through which the four major Confucian virtues pass, and it is the basic basis for its recognition. In other words, these virtues must not be false in themselves. Thus, faith is the basic basis of the four major Confucian morals. Fourth, and furthermore, faith, as shown by Confucius' statement of "what is achieved by faith," is placed at the end of the five Confucian morals and has the meaning of completing the first four. Thus, faith does not serve as a specific virtue like the other four virtues, but rather has the meaning that the four virtues have sincerity at their core and have been perfected. Finally, it has to do with the first. In order to be able to secure objectivity, direction, and correctness in what we generally believe and follow, it requires thorough study and reflection. Confucius taught four things: study, practice, sincerity, and trustworthiness. This is the premise for the realization of faith. The initial emphasis on "science" was the study of securing objectivity in the direction in which faith should go. Faith is good, but it can be dangerous or partial, caught up in emotions, desires, ideas, and ideologies. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly ask 'Why should I believe?', 'What kind of faith is this?', and 'What is faith for?' Therefore, faith cannot be justified by itself, but must require universal principles.